The Truth-Seekers
by ACloudyForecast
Summary: Highlander Jarrett's mission is to seek the truth of the Yggdrasil labyrinth with his guild. But his exploration becomes complicated when he meets an orange-haired, katana wielding medic, who looks like a guy but is really a sullen and aloof woman. She's on a quest of her own – stopping the sudden influx of deaths at the clinic. Will he help? Will she let him?
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Truth-Seekers

Summary: Highlander Jarrett's mission is to seek the truth of the Yggdrasil labyrinth with his guild, the White Fangs. But his exploration becomes somewhat complicated when he meets an orange-haired, katana wielding medic, who looks like a guy but is really a sullen and aloof woman. She's on a quest of her own – find proof needed to stop a fellow medic, who is popular and adored, from poisoning anymore patients. Will he help? Will she let him help?

Story Notes: EO:Untold setting, Genderbend, Multi-chapters, mystery, romance, action and adventure, highlander's name is Jarrett in this story

Author Notes: Read a few EO fanfics and played the game, so I thought I'd try writing a story. I genderbent the orange-haired male medic from the classic version. Why? Because I wanted to. Besides, after reading a certain story I became obsessed with this character. Also, tell me if you want to see romance between Jarret and genderbent!Medic. There will be some moments between them, but let me know if you want them to get together as a couple.

* * *

Jarrett sighed as he holstered his harpoon onto his shoulder, trying his best to block out the bickering of his teammate and pay attention to the sounds and noises of the third floor of the Yggdrasil. He was still on edge after barely escaping those murderous Reaping Shades.

"Where's that mining spot already?" Arthur whined as he dragged his feet against the ground. "This is getting boring!"

Simon sighed with exasperation. "Your whining is not helping," he scolded.

"Think of it as training," Ricky tried to pacify. "Mr Merchant will be so happy when we tell him where to find a mining spot."

"He might even buy us a round of drinks," Raquna grinned.

A shiver racing down Jarrett's spine caused him to come to ab abrupt stop, his body tensing. As a highlander, his primal skills were more refined than others. He was able to sense the presence of nearby monsters. "Something's coming," he hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Eek!" Ricky suddenly shrieked. "It's behind us!"

Spinning around, a curse tumbled from Jarrett's lips as he reached for his weapon and tried to push himself between the back fighters and the black and white monkey that was charging toward them. It was a Zebratherium, dangerous and powerful. The last thing they needed to be ambushed by!

"Shit." He wasn't going to make it.

But before Jarrett could reach Arthur and Ricky, someone else did. Someone, who appeared male with orange-haired pulled back into a small ponytail, suddenly moved in front of Ricky and Arthur. By his side was a katana in a black sheath.

A split second later, the katana was out of its sheath and resting by his side. The Zebratherium came to an abrupt stop, towering over the mysterious, katana wielding young man. Then a small amount of blood spurted from the Zebratherium's neck. But it was not a huge amount. So the beast did not suffer from a cut to the throat, but by something else. For a few seconds, the Zebratherium did not move but then it started to tilt to the left before crashing to the ground in an unmoving heap.

Sheathing his katana, the young man stood up straight and used his hand to push back strands of orange hair that fell over violet eyes. The white coat and orange bag gave him the appearance of a medic. But the katana by his side also stated that he had some ronin skills. An odd combination.

Slowly, the medic turned toward them. His wide violet eyes held a sense of coolness as he looked them over, as if studying them.

Sensing no threat from the man in front of them, Jarrett relaxed and holstered his harpoon. As did everyone else. They approached the man to offer their thanks.

Turning her attention to the unknown man, Ricky beamed at him with gratitude. "Thank you for helping us!"

"Whew, that was close," Arthur said, his shoulders sagging with relief. "We managed to avoid the Reaping Shades. How embarrassing would it be if we were taken out by a Zebratherium?"

The medic glanced at Ricky before shrugging. "I was just passing by," he said, his voice surprisingly light and somewhat girly.

Shocked by his voice, Jarrett found himself studying him a little harder. The more that Jarrett looked at him, the more he felt that there was something odd about him. He had a surprisingly slender frame and large eyes with thick lashes. Despite the large, baggy blue shirt and black pants, Jarrett could see that he had muscles, but they weren't well defined. He had a somewhat feminine feel to him.

"By the way, my name is Frederica, but you can call me Ricky!" The ever friendly Ricky introduced herself. "And these are my friends, Raquna, Simon, Arthur. And Jarrett is our leader."

Stepping forward as his role as leader, Jarrett offered his personal thanks. "I appreciate your help in protecting my teammates," he said.

The medic simply nodded, once against brushing away the strands of his hair that fell over his eyes. "My name is Galenia, but I prefer Galyn," he finally introduced himself.

Hearing him speak again, Jarrett narrowed his eyes in thought. Hmm…

"Do you have a sore throat or something?" Arthur suddenly asked, leaning forward to get into Galyn's personal space. "You have a girly voice."

"Arthur…" Simon hissed in a warning tone.

"Girlish voice, hm?" Galyn muttered, sounding a little insulted. "Fitting, I suppose."

"Wait, you're a girl?!" Arthur yelled.

Galyn rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, unwittingly revealing two telling bumps on her chest. Jarrett unwilling glanced at her chest, his expression remaining stoic, but inwardly he was trying hard not to blush. He was not all that shocked, really, that Galyn as a girl. He knew that there was something different about Galyn.

Those clothes, though, did nothing to reveal her figure. She was skinny, though. And she had boobs…

"Shocking, isn't it?" Galyn muttered.

"But you look like a guy," Arthur continued. "Oh, are you transgender or something?"

"Arthur!" Raquna finally shrieked before smacking Arthur on the back of the head to quieten him down before pushing in front of him and giving Galyn an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. He can be rather impulsive."

"And intrusive," Simon added as he pushed up at his glasses, glaring at a cowering Arthur as he did so.

Galyn didn't look all that amused. "I'm surprised that he knows what transgender means."

Ricky fidgeted from the uncomfortable tension. "So, um, how are you today?"

"Fine," Galyn answered tersely as she tightened her grip on her katana. "To answer your previous question; No, I'm not 'trans' anything, I'm afraid. I just prefer wearing men's clothing as they are more comfortable and practical than women's clothing. Since we're on the topic of personal matters, I am 17 years old, single, asexual, a medic and my favourite move is Severing Slash. If that is all, I'll take my leave."

Before anyone could say a thing, she turned her back to them and left, disappearing into the green foliage of the third floor. And Jarrett watched her leave, noting that she seemed at eased travelling alone. He could also see that she was feeling rather pissed off.

He hadn't seen her before, though. Was she a local? Crap, he should have said something to put her at ease, right?

Ricky stared at where Galyn disappeared in a dumbfounded manner. "She, um...She seems..." she stuttered.

"Guarded," Simon finished for her before once again turning his attention to their alchemist. "Arthur, you shouldn't ask such personal things like that."

"S-sorry," Arthur whimpered as he rubbed his head where Raquna hit him. "I was just curious, ya know...?"

"…She must be quite strong to be traversing the labyrinth alone," Jarrett mused aloud.

"Yeah," Arthur piped up. "Hey, why do you think she's down here?"

Simon twisted Arthur's ear and began to drag him off. "It's none of our business."

"Ow! Let go!"

"Raquna?" Ricky tugged on Raquna's clothing. "What does asexual mean?"

Jarrett immediately returned to the task at hand and moved to follow Simon and Arthur. "…Good luck," he said back at Raquna before scurrying off.

"Hey!" Raquna shouted after him before floundering in front of Ricky, who looked up at her with interest and expectation.

"Ah, Jarrett?"

Turning a corner, Jarrett was surprised by what he saw. Stern and cold, ronin warrior Ren was blocking their path, preventing them from venturing any further. Behind her was her constant companion, hexer Tlachtga. Seeing the two experienced warriors put Jarrett both at ease and on edge. Jarrett knew that he was somewhat socially awkward. But so were Ren and Tlachtga. But seeing them in the labyrinth, literally barring the way, meant that something was up.

"Ren, Tlachtga," Jarrett stated in some sort of a greeting as the rest of his guild gathered around him.

"Jarrett," Ren replied, her expression as stoic and her voice as cool as ever. "Still in one piece, I see."

"Hey, you're a ronin, right?" Arthur suddenly asked.

Ren's eyes narrowed further as she turned to look at Arthur, contempt clearly in her expression. "Clearly."

Totally disregarding the cold look, Arthur continued. "Then do you know Severing Slash?"

For a split second a look of surprise registered on Ren's face before she narrowed her eyes in a fearsome glare. "Severing Slash is a specialised technique that can only be learnt by increasing one's mental and physical strength," she answered sharply.

"So what does it do?"

Ren's eyes became colder as she answered. "Instantly kill all enemies with one slash."

Arthur broke out into a cold sweat. "O-oh, really?" he murmured, looking pale.

Ricky looked equally as surprised. "A-a medic knows how to do that?" she whispered under her breath.

"It's a grimoire," Jarrett said. "She's using a grimoire stone."

"But where did she get a grimoire stone?" Simon asked as he fiddled with his glasses again. "We're the only ones who have been able to use them."

Jarrett did not answer. However, his interest was piqued. They've discovered a grimoire stone in the labyrinth, so there was a chance that Galyn did as well. How far had she travelled and was she really travelling alone?

Maybe he should learn a bit more about her…


	2. Chapter 2

Author Notes: Well, this chapter is a bit of a filler. I've played story mode, but am now playing classic mode, so forgive me if anything seems off.

* * *

Gathered around a table at the pub, the Guild known as White Fangs were discussing about what they had encountered in the labyrinth that day. They discussed about the problematic wolves on the lower floors and how they should deal with their latest mission. Mostly, though, they were talking about that mysterious medic and how she could have possibility obtained a grimiore stone.

But Jarrett was more interested in learning why a medic would travel the labyrinth alone. She either was very strong or very desperate to learn something. He couldn't help but wonder what. Her cool and stoic attitude was a stark contrast to her profession.

"Here you go, kiddos."

The bar keeper, Valerie suddenly appeared with the tray of drink they had ordered.

"Miss Valerie, do you know someone called Galyn?" Ricky asked her, wanting to know more about the medic that saved her.

"Oh, you mean Galenia?" Valerie questioned. "She used to work at the clinic, but quit for some reason."

"She's rather guarded, isn't she?" Raquna commented as she happily picked up her mug of frothy beer. She had been waiting all day for a drink.

"From what I have seen, she was a very talented healer," Valerie told them with a tight smile on her lips. "It's a mystery why she suddenly quit. The clinic hasn't been the same."

"There have been many deaths lately, hasn't there?" Simon said as he pushed his glasses up onto his nose. "I've heard rumours."

Valerie sighed deeply and nodded her head sadly. "Yes, unfortunately. All at the clinic, too. Poor things manage to live until they get to the clinic, only to die some hours later because of their injuries. And poor Mira. She's been working so hard."

"We've bumped into Galyn in the labyrinth," Jarrett explained. "Does she prefer to work alone?"

Picking up the tray, Valerie held it against her chest. "Well, she is certainty an odd person. But…try to be nice to her, ok? She really is a good girl."

Jarrett's interest in Galyn increased as Valerie quickly walked away. A medic leaving a place of healing was virtually unheard off. Something must have happened at the clinic. Either to Galyn herself or something that she had witnessed to suddenly leave like she did. Maybe it was the clinic itself…

However, who was Mira? And what did she have to do with the clinic?

"Seems like Galyn is a local," Simon commented as he rested his arms on the table. "Explains why she seems so at ease in the labyrinth."

Jarrett turned his attention to Simon. "You haven't heard of her?" he asked him, figuring that medics would have some kind of kinship.

"I'm new here as well," Simon said as he shook his head. "I haven't had time to visit the clinic that often. I may have seen her, but simply do not remember."

"Not wanting to be mean," Raquna unexpected slurred, seemingly getting drunk already. "But Galyn seems like it would be easy for her to blend into the background, you know?"

Jarrett wasn't sure what Raquna meant by that. Sure, Galyn's outfit wasn't very flashy and she did look like a guy, but that didn't make her a wallflower. In regards to other female explorers, though, her appearance was probably considered rather bland.

"We should try to be friends with her," Ricky suddenly stated, sounding rather determined. "I mean, it must be lonely travelling all by herself like she is."

Jarrett nodded his head. Becoming friends with Galyn won't be easy, though, especially getting past her defences. "Who is this Mira person? Valerie mentioned her."

"Hey, you haven't heard of Mira?" A drunken man from the table next to theirs suddenly bellowed. "What rock have you been living under?"

Frowning, Jarrett turned around in his seat to look at the burly man, instantly feeling irritated. "And?"

"Mira is so beautiful," the man practically gushed. He suddenly pointed to a crowded part of the bar. Right in the middle of the group, practically being revered and honoured, was a pretty blonde-haired woman. She was obviously a medic, wearing a short beige skirt under a sleeveless medic coat. She toyed with her luscious blonde hair as she giggled and playfully flirted with those around her.

"She so sweet and caring," the man continued to fawn over her from afar. "What's not to love about her?"

Jarrett felt sceptical. He glanced over to his friends, mentally asking them if they knew who he was talking about. He received several shakes of the head, indicating no. He turned back to the obnoxious man. "What do you know about a girl called Galyn?" he asked.

The man unexpectedly snorted harshly. "What about her?" he scoffed before he started rambling. "She looks like a guy, is anti-social and hates beautiful Mira. I don't know why. Mira is so amazing and talented. Maybe it's jealousy? Yeah, that had to be it. Mira tells me that Galyn wasn't a very good medic. Patients complained about her all the time."

For some reason, Jarrett felt a surge of protectiveness toward Galyn. "Have you heard any complaints? Have you received treatment from her?" he asked harshly.

The man looked sheepish. "W-well, I've never been to the clinic, so I wouldn't know. I'm just going by what Mira says." He then looked defiant and resolute. "She wouldn't lie. She has no reason to! Besides, Galyn was the one who abandoned the clinic just when they needed medics the most! It's her fault so many explorers have died!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Arthur suddenly piped up. "Galyn isn't even at the clinic anymore. How is she at fault?"

"She should be still there, healing them!" he insisted loudly.

"If Mira is such a wonderful medic," Jarrett found himself saying, feeling highly agitated. "Then why isn't SHE saving them?"

Furious, the man suddenly stood up from his chair and towered over Jarrett. "She is a goddess! She's doing the best that she can!"

Less than impressed or intimidated, Jarrett stood up from his seat as well. While he wasn't as tall as the burly drunk in front of him, he was a highlander. He had been in plenty of fights, either bar fights or battles in the labyrinth, to handle himself against a larger opponent.

"Hey!" Valerie suddenly called out in a warning tone. "No fighting allowed!"

Wincing, the man slunk back into his seat, sending Valerie an apologetic look. "S-sorry ma'am," he stuttered before childishly glaring at Jarrett.

Jarrett rolled his eyes and sat back down in his seat. "Idiot," he murmured under his breath.

"People can be so rude, huh?" Ricky commented, sounding deflated.

"What could have Galyn done to earn such ire?" Simon asked.

"…I want to be friends with her!" Ricky restated, more determined than before.

"It won't be easy," Raquna added.

"I don't care!" Ricky shouted with a pout on her lips, her hands curled into fists of determination. She turned to look at Jarrett with a sense of purpose. "Jarrett, can we please, please befriend Galyn?"

Jarrett pretended to think about it for a moment before nodding. "…Sure, why not?"

"Yay!"

There was definitely something interesting about Galyn.


	3. Chapter 3

Author Notes: Thanks to SilverGate55 for reviewing the last chapter! I honestly wasn't expecting to get any reviews for this story, so I am quite happy indeed.

* * *

Trudging their way through the four level of the labyrinth, Jarrett and his teammates were surprisingly quiet for the most part. Their latest mission, dealing with the wolves, had made them become quiet and series. Every rustling of the trees or bushes caused the group to tense and prepare for battle.

Making their way around an annoying road block, Jarrett heard a noise. It was slight, barely audible, but he definitely heard something. With his party momentarily distracted with battle planning, Jarrett edged forward and peered around a bend in the path. And what he saw surprised him.

In a clearing a few steps ahead was Galyn and she was surrounded by three purple lizard type monsters. However, before Jarrett could even form the thought of offering his aid, she had unsheathed her katana and sliced effortlessly through one of the lizards. As the lizard fell to the ground, Galyn shifted her weight and adjusted her grip on her weapon.

A split second later, two more lizards were felled.

Sheathing her blade, Galyn relaxed her posture and carefully approached the unmoving monsters. She leant forward and plucked a feather from one of the lizards. "Longisquama?" she was heard muttering, twirling the feather around between her fingers. "On this level?"

Jarrett had to admit; she was rather impressive with that katana. She must have had that grimoire stone for a long time.

"Whatcha looking at, Jarrett?"

As if just realising that she wasn't alone, Galyn spun around in look in Jarrett's direction. She looked momentarily surprised, one hand reaching for the hilt of her katana, the other reaching for her bag. She, however, relaxed somewhat when she recognised them. Still, her violet eyes held a sense of suspicion.

"Oh!" Ricky gasped before stuttering nervously. "H-hello again."

"What are you doing down here?" Simon asked as he fidgeted with his glasses. "These floors have been cordoned off because of the wolves."

Uttering a sigh, Galyn straightened her posture and rested her hand idly over the handle of her blade. "Stair Jump."

"Eh?" Arthur uttered, tilting his head to the side in question.

"Never mind," Galyn said as she shook her head, causing strands of orange hair to dance across large violet eyes. "I can take care of myself."

Galyn abruptly turned around and began to walk away, side stepping the three felled monsters and seemingly intent on carrying on her way.

"W-wait!" Ricky called out to her.

Somewhat startled, Galyn stopped and turned slightly. "What now?" she asked quite coolly as she glanced over her shoulder.

Ricky immediately began to fidget. "Um, well, I know we got off to a bad start, but I thought we could, um, be friends or something," she managed to say.

Galyn blinked. "…You want to be friends with me?" she asked, sounding rather confused.

Ricky nodded her head quickly. "Yeah, of course."

"Why?"

It was Ricky's turn to blink. "Huh?"

"I asked why?" Galyn said as she turned around to face her fully. Her eyes were slightly narrowed from suspicion, and yet she seemed genuinely confused. "Why would you bother trying to befriend me? You've heard what they say about me, right?"

"Well, yeah…" Ricky murmured, frowning when she remembered that man from the bar they had unfortunately encounter yesterday afternoon. Her frown unexpectedly deepened and she puffed her cheeks out in a huff. "But they're so rude!"

Galyn made no attempt to verbally respond, but to Jarrett, her facial expressions were very telling. She glanced off to the side, her brow furrowed, her eyes holding a sense of vulnerability. It was as if she wanted to believe what she was hearing, but past experiences were keeping her guarded and defensive.

"We are here to investigate the labyrinth on behalf of Radha Hall," Simon explained, breaking the suddenly lapse of silence.

"What brings you here, Galyn?" Raquna asked lightly, not meaning to be intrusive.

Turning her attention back to the group, Galyn seemed to compose herself and straightened her posture. "My reasons for being in the labyrinth have little to do with you," she replied quite coolly. "Besides, you should concentrate on your own exploration. Don't pay me any mind."

Once again, Galyn turned her back to the guild of explorers to make her leave.

"That grimoire stone," Jarrett said as he took a couple of steps forward, pulling Galyn to a sudden stop once more. "Where did you get it?"

"…I found it," she murmured, not bothering to turn around to regard him. "In a treasure chest."

Jarrett studied her for a moment, easily noting the tension in her back and shoulders. "You must have gone pretty far into the labyrinth," he commented as he folded his arms across his chest.

"…Maybe," she commented idly before glancing over her shoulder. She unwittingly caught Jarrett's gaze, her eyes really quite expressive. And rather pretty as well.

After a silent minute, Galyn sighed and turned around, unexpectedly taking a couple of steps toward Jarrett, coming to stop right in front of him. Although much shorter than him, she still looked somewhat intimidating as she stared up at him in a confrontational manner.

"Look, if you're worried that I may interfere with your mission, then don't," Galyn said. "I am merely searching for items. I won't get in your way."

Jarrett rose an eyebrow at her. Searching for items? By herself? If it was just items that she wanted, why didn't she simply post a request at the pub? That was what everyone else did.

"W-we're not worried about that," Ricky spoke up, twiddling her fingers as she peered from around Jarrett. "It's…Should you be travelling by yourself? There are wolves here, after all."

Glancing at Ricky, Galyn gazed at her for a moment before she gave a sigh, her shoulders sagging. "…I'll be fine," she said in a surprisingly gentle way as she stepped away from Jarrett. "I have an Adriane Thread. If I find myself surrounded, I will warp out immediately."

"Oh, that's good," Ricky said, smiling brightly.

Appearing nervous and uneasy, Galyn curled a strand of her hair behind her ear. "…You best be careful as well," she said softly.

"We will," Jarrett was the one to say, granting Galyn a half-smile as she turned to look up at him. "See you back in town, ok?"

Surprisingly, a light flush appeared on Galyn's cheeks. "…Sure," she muttered before turning around abruptly and making a quick exit, once again disappearing into the lush greenery of the labyrinth.

"Hm, maybe she's not as cold as we first thought," Raquna said, almost chuckling.

Ricky agreed, pumping her fists in determination. "We're going to be good friends!"

* * *

A couple of days after ridding the first stratum of those skolls and their pack leader, Fenrir, Jarrett decided that his guild earned a small break. The battle against Fenrir was difficult and there were a few close calls. But thanks to Simon's healing that were able to claim victory and make their way back into town.

Everyone from guild White Fangs had their own ideas on what they like to do for relaxation. Jarrett preferred to walk around town, overhearing a bit of gossip and generally preparing for their next jaunt into the labyrinth. Simon was spending his time studying in the library, Arthur was bothering Simon in the library and Raquna was expertly bumming free drinks from patrons at the pub.

Ricky, on the other hand, was following through with her desire to befriend the mysterious and intriguing Galyn. She can be quite determined when she set her mind to something.

Jarrett had witnessed a couple of her attempts to get Galyn to hang out with her. While not outright successful, they weren't exactly unsuccessful either.

"Galyn!" Ricky practically squealed when she caught sight of Galyn in the streets of Etria. "Let's go for a walk together, Galyn!"

Galyn snapped her attention to her, looking blatantly surprised and bewildered. She then abruptly looked away, turning her back to Ricky, obvious tension in her shoulders. But Ricky would not be easily defeated.

"Galyn!" she called out, louder than before.

Stiffening, Galyn spun around to look directly at Ricky, a deep flush on her cheeks. "What?!" she called back.

"Let's go for a walk, Galyn!" Ricky insisted as she jogged over to her with a bright smile on her face.

Before Galyn had the chance to make an escape, Ricky latched herself onto her arm tightly. "…Fine," she said, visibly looking defeated. "Only for a little while."

And Ricky simply beamed. "Yay!"

Several hours later, Ricky managed to corner Galyn again. And again, Jarrett happened to witness it from the sidelines, drawing no attention to himself.

"Galyn!" Ricky called out in the middle of town once again. "Let's go shopping!"

Tensing upon hearing her name so joyfully called, Galyn turned to grant Ricky yet another baffling look. "Me?" she questioned, dumbly pointing to herself.

Once again, Ricky grabbed onto her arm. "Please?" she pleaded, even going as far as giving her a cute pout.

"W-why me?" Galyn stuttered.

"Because I want you to," Ricky stated firmly, tugging strongly on Galyn's arm. "Come on."

"W-wait-!" Galyn spluttered as Ricky literally dragged her off, giggling girlishly and joyously as she did so.

On the day before they were set to return to their exploration of the labyrinth, they were at the pub, listening to some tales and words of advice from other explorers. Suddenly, there was a slight lull in conversation as a certain orange-haired medic walked through the bar. A couple of the patrons, those Jarrett recognised as being a part of Mira's groupies, began to whisper behind their hands to each other, looking sideways at Galyn.

Watching Galyn carefully himself, Jarrett could see that she tried to ignore the looks, holding her head up high as she approached the bar. Jarrett felt his eyes narrow protectively when Galyn walked past that burly man he nearly had a fight with a few days ago and he seemed to sneer something at her. However, Galyn ignored him and continued walking.

"It's Galyn," Ricky said, perking up when she laid eyes on the female medic. She jumped from her seat and waved her arm in the air. "Galyn! Come sit with us!"

Galyn paused in her movements and looked around startled. When she realised that it was Ricky that was calling out to her, and that the rest of her guild was also there, a surprisingly pained look appeared on her face. She then abruptly looked away and tried to continue her way to the bar.

Ricky lowered her arm, looking rather confused. "Fine," she said as she suddenly became serious and practically stomped over to Galyn. "I'll come get you!"

"W-what are you doing?" Galyn spluttered, becoming tense when Ricky once again latched onto her arm.

"Come, please?" Ricky begged.

Galyn abruptly looked away, looking embarrassed and uneasy. "I-I'm busy, Ricky," she muttered.

Ricky suddenly gasped and clapped her hands together in delight. "You called me Ricky."

Blushing deeply, Galyn toyed with a strand of her hair. "W-well…"

"Yay!" Ricky cheered, unexpectedly hugging a stunned and becoming even more embarrassed Galyn. "We're friends now!"

Jarrett couldn't help but chuckle as Ricky dragged Galyn over to set with them. That blush on Galyn's face made her look really quite cute. "Well, she's sure is determined," he muttered, referring to Ricky.

Next to him, Raquna giggled almost sadistically. "I think it's working."

Jarrett couldn't help but muse that it was a good thing, especially when Ricky pushed Galyn into a seat between the two of them. Galyn looked edgy and nervous, as if worrying that her being seen with them would somehow come back to hurt them.

Granting the skittish young woman a hopefully reassuring smile, Jarrett picked up his drink as he glanced around. He immediately noticed a few stunned expressions from those who were whispering about Galyn the moment she walked in. And it wasn't hard to notice the blatant disbelief on the face of the still unknown burly man from before.

With Galyn distracted by the rest of his teammates, Jarrett flipped the man his middle finger before turning his attention back to Galyn. Seeing her sitting next to him, her shoulders hunched, her chin lowered down to her chest – she looked vulnerable. Although he knew practically nothing about Galyn, he was more than certain that she did not deserve the gossip and sneering looks.

And, for whatever reason, he was going to put a stop to them.


	4. Chapter 4

Jarrett was walking through the streets of Etria, doing a few errands for Rosa and his guild when something caught his attention. There was a bit of a commotion happening in the central plaza, a huge crowd of locals and explorers chattering anxiously in front of the billboard that held numerous official statements and where announcements were posted.

His interest piqued, Jarrett ventured closer and stood next to a man he recognised around town, but didn't really know. "What's going on?" he asked him.

Turning to glance at him, the bystander gave a short nod before turning to look at the notice board again. "There were more deaths at the clinic again last night," he answered bluntly.

Jarrett frowned deeply. "What happened?"

"No one knows," the man said as he also gave a shrug. "Some say that a terrible monster mauled them in the labyrinth, while others are saying something dodgy is happening at the clinic. It's scaring explorers."

"That's understandable," Jarrett murmured as he nodded his head.

Looking around at the crowds, Jarrett found his attention drawn to a corner of the town's centre. A part from the crowds that were looking aghast at the billboard was another group of people. However, they were surrounding a pretty blond haired medic – Mira. Jarrett's frown deepened further as he felt more agitated the more he looked at her.

Mira was at the centre of the crowd, sniffling and openly weeping. She daintily dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, trying to offer those around her a brave smile. She looked so mournful and yet strong.

Perhaps Jarrett was just bias, but there was something…fake about her. He couldn't help but suspect that she was really relishing in the attention.

Amongst the crowd of somewhat familiar groupies of Mira, Jarrett noticed a small group of female explorers. He recognised them as being the "Only Girls Allowed" guild known as the Sirens. Beautiful and talented, they had the attention of many admirers.

Jarrett, however, wasn't one of them.

"Don't cry, Mira," the pink-haired protector, he was pretty sure was named Momo, cooed as she gently stroked Mira's hair. "You did all that you could. More than anyone else could."

"Yeah," a black-haired ronin named Akiko added. "If it weren't for you, they would have died a lot sooner."

"I know…" Mira sniffled before she sighed deeply, her hand resting over her heart in a 'sincere' manner. "It's just so sad that they had to die so tragically. The labyrinth is very dangerous. I worry every day."

"We know that you do, Mir," the pink-haired dark hunter named Jackie said.

Jarrett felt his eye twitch…She was getting more attention and comfort than those who had actually lost friends or family members. That wasn't right. In fact, the sight of Mira relishing in the constant adoration of others was very, very irritating.

Looking away in disgust, Jarrett inexplicably spotted Galyn in the crowed. She was standing in front of a wooden notice board, looking up at it with tense shoulders.

Jarrett watched, his gaze softening as Galyn carefully read the list before unexpectedly raising her hand. She gently trailed her fingertips over the sheet of paper with the names of those who had recently died, as recently as last night. She seemed to trace a couple of them before suddenly curling her hand into a fist and slamming it against the notice board. Even from his distance, Jarrett could see that she was trembling, from barely suppressed anger and frustration. She then glanced over in the direction of Mira and her groupies before spinning around and storming off in the opposite direction.

Something was definitely going on. And Galyn knew what. But why wasn't she telling anyone? Was it because of Mira?

Jarrett harden his resolve. He needed to know what Galyn knew. If she did indeed know something that no one else did, then she was the one in danger. And he was going to help her in any way he can.

* * *

It was nearing nightfall when Jarrett mysteriously located Galyn amongst the crowds of locals once more. Even more strange was that she seemed to be trying to make herself look inconspicuous. She was sticking to the shadows of the buildings and laneways. It took Jarrett a second to realise why.

She seemed to be following Mira.

With her bag on her shoulder, Mira was heading toward the town's exit where the entrance of the labyrinth was. She walked hurriedly through the streets, slowing down suspiciously whenever she encountered a fan of hers, sending them what would be a both flirty yet innocent smile, before frowning the moment they were out of sight and quicken her pace. She looked revealed to see the suspiciously unguarded entrance to the Emerald Grove and quickly made her way into the labyrinth.

And Galyn followed her, staying well back, clutching her katana tightly.

Curious, Jarrett decided to join this little game of cat and mouse. With his weapon hoisted onto his back as assurance in case he encountered any monsters, Jarrett then proceeded to follow Galyn at a safe distance. He did not know what she was up to, or what she was planning, but he was fairly certain she wasn't going to confront Mira and attack her. That was simply implausible.

With night now fallen, it was much easier to keep to the shadows of the labyrinth, the three of them effortlessly making all the way down to the third floor. With the Reaping Shades seemingly elsewhere, Mira made her way down a narrow path to where a mining spot was located.

Pulling her bag from her shoulder, Mira looked around before pulling out a small pickaxe from her bag and turned her attention to the ground.

Jarrett watched in confusion. He had been to that mining spot himself and knew what could be found there. Pyroxene, bronzite and andradite – nothing that a medic would want or need. So why? Why would Mira venture into the labyrinth, alone no less, just to get some stones?

After a few minutes of digging, Mira finally sighed and began to pile in an alarmingly large amount of stones into her bag. From where Jarrett was located, he couldn't tell what types of stones she was interested in, but maybe Galyn did, as she was hiding amongst the tree line much closer.

Finally pushing up off the ground, Mira huffed as she began to lug her far too heavy bag up the narrow path, seemingly intent on returning home. The moment Mira disappeared around a corner, Galyn popped out of hiding. She quickly and silently made her way over the mining spot and knelt down.

Cautiously, and equally as silent, Jarrett pushed himself out of the shadows to approach her.

"…Pryoxene and andradite," Galyn was heard murmuring to herself. "Bronzite? What would she…?"

The sound of footsteps caused Jarrett to stiffen, half expecting Galyn to whip around to look at him. However, she seemed distracted by the mining spot, so Jarrett had no choice but to react for the both of them.

Jarrett lunged forward and grabbed Galyn from behind, covering her mouth with one hand to keep her quiet while he wrapped the arm of his other around her waist and pulling her back against him. Before she had the chance to react, he pushed them both back into shadows of the forest, crouching down at the base of a tree.

Galyn understandably began to panic and struggle. "Hmf!"

"Shh!" Jarrett whispered as he tightened his hold, but not too tight to hurt her. "Someone's coming."

Unexpectedly, Galyn calmed down, although still stayed tense and ridged inn his arms. A mere few seconds later the approaching footsteps grew louder. Appearing around a corner, a familiar group of female warriors appeared and Jarrett narrowed his eyes.

The Sirens?

"Did you get what you needed, Mir?" dark hunter Jackie asked as she twirled around a strand of her pink hair.

"Yep!" Mira smiled at her before a deep, exasperated frown appeared on her face as she swatted a strand of her blond hair from her forehead. "There were only a few stones left, unfortunately. Seems like some fool told that idiot merchant where to mine."

Jackie's laugh seemed to echo as the group continued on, most likely heading for the other mining spot that could be found on this floor.

Fool? Idiot? Now, that didn't sound like someone called the town's 'darling' should be saying.

When he could no longer hear their footsteps or voices, Jarret finally relinquished his hold on Galyn, who immediately lurched away from him and scrambled into the middle of a pathway. She spun around to face him, a surprisingly adorable flush on her cheeks, yet a look of accusation and suspicion was on her face.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"What are you doing?" Jarrett asked as he stepped out of the bushes and into the clearing as well.

"T-that's none of your business," Galyn spluttered.

Jarrett looked at her for a few moments before sighing and glancing up the pathway that Mira and the Sirens disappeared in. "Why would a devout medic risk her life looking for stones?" he questioned, referring to Mira.

"From what I understand, the stones on this level are beneficial for making of accessories," Galyn stated as she turned around to look at the mining spot once more. She kicked at the ground, nudging a few stones with her foot. "But there really is no reason for Mira to be collecting so many of them."

Galyn then sighed deeply as she quickly turned around and started to hurry her way up the pathway, clutching her katana tightly in her hands.

"Never mind," she said as she shook her head. "This has nothing to do with you."

Jarrett moved to follow her when he felt a sharp chill race up his spine. Over the sounds of the labyrinth around him, he was able to hear a slightly buzzing noise. There was only one monster he had encountered in this labyrinth that made such a sound.

"Wait!" Jarrett yelled as he lunged forward to get to Galyn.

Surprised, the orange-haired medic turned around only to be quite literally tackled into the thick foliage of the trees. Tumbling into the bushes, Jarrett pulled Galyn against his chest and wrapped his arms around her tightly in order to make the both of them as unnoticeable as possible. At first Galyn tried to push him away by placing her hands on his chest, incredibly flustered by their closeness. But she abruptly grew still and her eyes widened with utter fear as she glanced over his shoulder.

"A…R-reaping shade?" Galyn whispered softly as she clutched the front of his shirt.

Cursing silently under his breath, Jarrett moved them slightly so that Galyn was pressed between him and a large tree. Should the Reaping Shade suddenly turn its attention to their location, Jarrett hoped that it would see him first.

He could only hope that they didn't have to fight it.

Jarrett continued to hold Galyn tightly, his arms wrapped around her slender body, while she pressed her face against his chest in order not to look at the large Reaping Shade. Jarrett had no idea what it was doing. It was buzzing back and forth in the small corridor where they were hiding, seemingly searching for something.

Finally, after gnashing its large pincers in a threatening manner, it darted back up the path and disappeared from sight. Jarrett breathed a sigh of relief and Galyn released a shuddering breath, as if she had been holding it.

Still very cautious, the two of them continued to hold onto each other, waiting to hear the natural silence of the grove. When Jarrett felt that it was now safe for them to leave their hiding place, Jarrett kept his arms around Galyn and helped her up off the ground and to her feet.

Walking about into the clearing, Jarrett noted that she was really quite slender and had a small waist, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was looking after herself properly.

"Are you all right?" Jarrett asked her, noticing that she was shaking.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Galyn answered as she removed her hold on him, her eyes still glancing around in a skittish manner. "Where did that come from? They never come this far…"

That was a good question. "I wonder if the Sirens led it this way for some reason," he muttered more to himself, then to Galyn.

A frown appeared on Galyn's face and she tensed. "Tch."

Taking a moment to glance at their surroundings again, Jarrett decided that he didn't want to stay any longer than necessary. With that Reaping Shade still loitering around and his guild probably wondering where he went, he had better get back to town quickly. "We need to get out of here before they agitate any of those Boulder Boars," he said to Galyn.

"Yeah, you're right," Galyn said.

When she made the motion to move, Jarrett reached forward to snare her wrist in his hand, pulling her to a stop. Startled once again, Galyn looked down at their hands before lifting her eyes, shimmering with confusion, to look at Jarrett.

"There's a short cut," Jarrett explained as he began to pull Galyn along with him. "It'll make things easier."

"Ah, ok," Galyn murmured, yet made no attempt to pull her wrist from his grip.

Sticking together, Jarrett and Galyn quickly made their way through the three floors of the labyrinth and made their way back into town. Upon reaching the outskirts of town, Galyn seemed to gather herself and tugged her wrist from Jarrett's grip.

"Hey," Galyn unexpectedly called out to him.

"Hm?"

"T-thanks for your help tonight," Galyn murmured as she blushed darkly. "But…"

"But…?" Jarrett prompted.

"Don't tell anyone what happened tonight, yeah?" Galyn asked him, clutching her katana against her chest, a look of pleading in her violet eyes. "It's for your own sake."

Before Jarrett had the chance to question her by what she meant, Galyn turned on her heel and ran off, quickly disappearing into the back streets of Etria.

* * *

After a bit of a grilling from his guild, Jarrett didn't get much sleep that night. After what happened in the labyrinth, he couldn't stop thinking about Galyn, about the mysterious Reaping Shade and why someone as 'precious' as Mira would enter the labyrinth to collect some stones.

With a paper bag filled with small petals for Valerie, Jarrett was heading to the pub in order to hand in her quest when once again; he spotted Galyn easily amongst the throngs of people loitering in the busy streets.

Galyn was standing out the front of Shilleka's workshop, speaking with the shop-keeper herself.

Momentarily shifting from his current path, Jarrett lingered just out of sight of the shop and decided to eavesdrop. It was the only way he could get any information around here.

"So Mira hadn't sold you anything?" he heard Galyn ask.

"Eh? Mira hadn't sold me a single thing," Shilleka answered.

"Then what is she…?" Galyn mumbled as she held her chin in thought. But after a moment she shook her head and reached into her bag to pull something out. "Sorry, never mind, here. I made these last night. You can have them."

"Thanks!" Shilleka grinned as she took a couple of bottles of what appeared to be medicine from Galyn.

Jarrett stayed silent and hidden as Galyn and Shilleka exchange a few more pleasantries before Galyn quickly excused herself and hurried away.

So…if Mira wasn't selling all those stones, what was she doing with them? More importantly, what did Mira and those stones have to do with the deaths at the clinic? She had to have something to do with them. A talented medic like Galyn would not needlessly risk her very life following Mira into the labyrinth by herself, at night. And another question was what did the Sirens have to do with all of this?

"Hey, Shilleka," Jarrett greeted as he approached the feisty shop keeper.

"Hey dere, Jarret," Shilleka said in reply. "What can I do for yer?"

"Nothing this time," Jarret said with a shrug. "Was just wondering…Does Galyn come here often?"

Shilleka looked confused as she scratched the back of her neck. "Eh? Ah, every day. She sells da best quality items. She also helps in making medica."

For some reason, Jarrett wasn't at all surprised to learn that. "Isn't it a little unusual that a medic of her calibre is exploring the labyrinth by herself?"

Shilleka now looked uncomfortable. "Er, well…"

"Never mind," Jarrett said as he shook his head. "None of my business. Later."

"Next time, you should buy something…" Shilleka muttered, but Jarrett ignored her for the most part.

Galyn definitely knew something. Rather suspected something. And Mira was at the forefront of her suspicions. And Jarrett found himself agreeing. There was something shady about that little miss popular and precious. She was hiding something.

He needed to learn more.


	5. Chapter 5

Even though they had defeated Fenrir and its wolf pack, Jarrett wanted to spend more time investigating the first stratum before they move onto the second. They had stepped foot onto the sixth floor and activated the Geomagnetic Pole, but after getting a look at the F. that wander that floor and they decide that a bit more training would be beneficial.

Walking around on the third floor, steering well clear of the Reaping Shades and the Boulder Boars, Jarrett couldn't help but let his mind wander back to his solo adventure. What kind of stones was Mira collecting and why? And what does Galyn know?

"It's Galyn!" Ricky suddenly yelled as she dashed away. "She's hurt!"

Pulled from his thoughts, Jarrett turned to see Galyn staggering along the path, using her sheathed katana as a crutch. She was covered in numerous cuts and abrasions, her clothes ripped and torn in many different locations, her shirt of her chest in particular. However, she had her medic coat tied around her slim form, giving her coverage.

Jarrett and the others immediately made their way over to her. Those cuts and scrapes don't appear to have been made by monsters. To him, they look like injuries from weapons. And Jarrett had a suspicion of who could be responsible.

"I'm fine," Galyn said as Ricky reached her, flailing about her in concern. She gave Ricky a forced smile, trying to calm the Gunner down. "Nothing to worry about."

With his glasses sitting on the tip of his nose, Simon began to carefully inspect her wounds. "These injuries," he murmured. "They weren't made by monsters."

"Huh? Then what did?" Arthur asked loudly.

"I'm fine," Galyn said again, firmer this time. "Really."

Seeing the grimace on her face and how she was leaning far too much on her make-shift walking aid, Jarrett knew that she was far from fine. She wouldn't be able to make it back to town on her own. In fact, she would be easy prey to any and all monsters. They would be able to smell the blood.

So why wasn't she healing the wounds herself?

"You guys continue with that request from Rosa," Jarrett said as he walked over to Galyn. "I'll walk Galyn back into town."

Pushing his glasses onto his nose, Simon nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, good idea."

Standing by Galyn's side, Jarrett offered her his arm to hold onto. Surprisingly, she did reach out to place her hand on his forearm, allowing herself to lean heavily against him. She was still using her katana as a crutch, though. She was in more pain that she was letting on.

"No further than the first stratum," Jarrett said to his guild mates.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure everyone comes back in once piece," Raquna replied, smiling impishly.

Jarrett gave her a blank look before turning to regard Simon. "…Simon, you're in charge."

Simon nodded his head sharply. "Understood."

"What do you mean by that?!" Raquna squawked.

"Take care, Galyn," Ricky said as she waved joyfully and cheerfully. "I'll visit you when we get back into town."

"Steer clear of those Reaping Shades, yeah?" Arthur added.

"Don't make a fuss," Galyn said as she and Jarrett began to move. "I'm fine."

As they moved slowly along the many winding pathways, Jarrett quickly realised that this method of travel wasn't going to be practical. Galyn was resting heavily against his arm, wincing each and every time she put any pressure on her right ankle. Being closer to her now, Jarrett could see that most of her injuries had healed, whether on their own or from her own healing. She was still in pain, though.

"Your ankle is hurting, isn't it?" Jarrett asked, pulling the both of them to a stop.

Galyn refused to look at him, but he could see a flush on her cheeks. "…Yeah," she finally murmured, her shoulders sagging slightly in defeat.

Knowing that they were sitting ducks standing in the middle of the labyrinth, Jarrett decided that the best way for them to get back to town safely was for him to literally carry Galyn. She looked small and slender, so he doubted that she would be very heavy.

Making sure that his weapon was secured to his back, Jarrett wrapped one arm around Galyn's shoulders before leaning down to slip the other behind her knees, effortlessly sweeping her up off the ground. "Here, I'll carry you."

"What?" Galyn uttered before she made a noise of surprise when Jarrett picked her up. In her shock she wrapped one arm around his neck while she tightened her grip on her katana.

"It'll be quicker this way," Jarrett said as he readjusted her grip on her, mildly noting how light she really was. "Hold on."

Again, surprising Jarrett immensely, Galyn didn't argue or make an attempt to push herself from his hold. She was blushing something fierce and refusing to look at him, but she wasn't struggling. It was actually kinda cute.

Still, there was something bothering him.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Jarrett asked as he began to walk again.

Galyn glanced up at him for a second before looking forward abruptly, her expression sullen and frustrated. "It would have only made things worse."

So, it was them. It was the Sirens who were responsible for her injuries. Jarrett was not at all surprised. And he wouldn't be surprised if Mira was behind it all. She was dangerous and best avoided.

With Galyn in his arms, it was much quicker for them to make their way back into town. Walking up the steps that led from the labyrinth into town, Galyn tried to push herself from his arms, but Jarrett would have none of it. She was injured and tired.

So, despite her protests, he carried her into town. Seeing that he wasn't trying to parade her around and was actually sticking to the back streets, Galyn reluctantly gave him directions to her apartment in a quiet part of town. When they were inside, Jarrett finally placed Galyn back on her feet.

"You should have a shower," Jarrett suggested.

"Yeah…" Galyn said as she winced after putting a bit of pressure on her right ankle. She then peered up at him, slightly timid and vulnerable. "Are you staying?" she asked.

It almost sounded like a plea, so Jarrett nodded his head. "Sure."

The corners of Galyn's lips threatened to form into a smile. "Fine," she said as she turned around and limped in the direction the bathroom was in.

When he heard the shower turn on, Jarrett shrugged off his weapon and leaned it against the wall by the front door. He then glanced around Galyn's apartment, finding it small but cosy if not a little bit messy. There weren't many photos or pieces of trinkets around. There were a tonne of books, though. Medical books, probably.

There was one photo though, on the small table next to the bed.

Curious, Jarrett walked over and picked up the picture. In it was Galyn and an unknown man, who appeared to be a Troubadour as he had a lute and a piece of grass between his lips. Both of them were smiling and seemed to be quite close. The man looked as though he would be easily recognisable, but Jarrett was fairly certain he hadn't seen anyone like him around town.

Quickly placing the photo back onto the table, Jarrett turned around when he heard the water cut off. Not wanting to be seen as being nosy, he walked over to toward the entrance where he would lean against the wall.

However, Jarrett was surprised when Galyn suddenly reappeared, dressed in only a towel that was wrapped around her slender form. Her orange hair clung to the wet skin of her face and neck, with a couple of strands clinging to her forehead. She glanced over to him, her violet eyes slightly wide in surprise and a deep blush on her cheeks. She quickly glanced away, though, and clutched at the knot in her towel, which happened to be between her breasts.

"Sorry," she muttered as she walked over to her closet. "Forgot my clothes."

"Right," Jarrett murmured as he looked away, turning his back to her. However, he was fairly certain that he had a blush of his own on his on his face.

"Hey, thanks," Galyn suddenly said over the sound of the rustling of clothes. "For not making a fuss. For some reason, whenever someone realises that I actually have breasts, they throw a spaz."

Not surprising, really. They were bigger than first thought!

Jarrett coughed into his hand. "Very immature."

"I'm dressed now," Galyn stated.

Jarrett turned back around to see Galyn wearing a short sleeved dress shirt that reached to her thighs and buttoned up to her chest. She had her arms folded under her bust as she gave Jarrett a somewhat curious look.

"You probably want to know what happened, right?" she asked.

Jarrett nodded his head. "You must have a very important reason to be exploring the labyrinth alone," he commented.

"You're really determined," Galyn said before she sighed and perched herself on the edge of her bed. "Fine, I guess I owe you that much."

She indicated to the chair that was located near the bed, prompting Jarrett to take a seat across from her. And he did, moving quickly. Hopefully he could at least get some answers to the questions that had been plaguing him since he first met Galyn.

"It's because of that blond-haired medic, Mira," Galyn said bluntly, a great sense of distaste toward the mentioned medic. "I think she's murdering patients."

Jarrett wasn't expecting such a blunt admission. "That's quite an accusation."

"I know, that's why I haven't said anything," Galyn said as she raked her hand through her still wet hair. "Well, not until now. She's everyone's darling. She acts sweet, loving and modest."

"But she's not," Jarrett said, which prompted a small smile to appear on Galyn's lips.

"She's not," Galyn repeated as she shook her head. "She's manipulative and loves being the centre of attention. Whenever there was a medical emergency, she was there in the centre of it, either miraculously bringing the patient back to life where she is praised for her amazing talent. Or the patient dies despite her heroic efforts and she is comforted and told how amazing she is."

Galyn must have been working at the hospital the same time Mira had been and was the first to realised that the patients weren't dying of natural causes.

Galyn suddenly sighed loudly again as she dropped her chin to her chest and her shoulders sagging with fatigue. "I sound like a bitter, jealous rival, don't I?" she muttered bitterly.

That must be how Mira's supporters view her to be.

"Is she why you are no longer working at the clinic?" Jarrett asked.

"Yeah," Galyn said, sounding rather tired all of a sudden as she lifted her head and turned to look out the window. "Like I said, she's the town's darling medic. And she absolutely loathes me."

"Why?"

"Besides seeing past her pretty facade?" Galyn questioned before shrugging. "Who knows? The reason why I'm traversing the labyrinth is to look for the poison she's using and the cure for it."

Made sense. If Mira was indeed poisoning the patients, then she had to be using something from the labyrinth. But if that was the case, then the Sirens were also involved somehow. They couldn't possibly be so blind to see that a medic as precious as Mira wouldn't be needing to travel the labyrinth alone to gather stones.

"The Sirens," Jarrett said. "Are they the ones that attacked you?"

Galyn's eyes narrowed slightly as her hands gripped at the edge of her bed tightly. "...They all loathe me because of Mira. I don't know what she tells them to make them hate me so much."

Absolute lies, most likely.

"From what I've heard, the townspeople don't hate you," Jarrett commented.

Galyn's eyes softened a little. "Is that so?"

"The clinic hasn't been the same without you, I'm told," he added.

Slowly, Galyn turned to look at him, her violet eyes quite expressive and shimmering with hope. "...Do you believe me?" she asked him softly.

The way she was looking at him, how could he not see her sincerity as well as her desperation and vulnerably? Despite the way she seem guarded and sullen, he knew that she was truthful and honest.

"To walk the labyrinth alone shows that you are determined in your beliefs," Jarrett said as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "You don't seem the type to do it on a mere hunch alone. Have you any proof?"

At first, Galyn was silent, but her eyes were once again very expressive. There was surprise within their depths, but also hope and relief.

"I'm afraid all I have is documents stating that with each patient that had a medical emergency or has died under mysterious circumstances," Galyn replied as she pushed herself from the bed and took to her feet. She quickly made her way over to a chest of draws where she opened the first draw and pulled out a rather thick file. "Mira was present for them all."

Jarrett pushed himself to his feet as well and walked over to her, moving to stand directly behind her. He glanced over her shoulder as Galyn flicked through a few papers, holding the file in such a way that both of them would be able to read it.

"That's not enough?" he asked.

"It could easily be brushed off as coincidence," Galyn replied with a slight snort. "If only I could get my hands on patient files. That way I can see what symptoms they had before they died."

Jarrett mulled that over in his head. Yeah, getting their hands on the medical files would make things a lot easier. "How would you go about getting them?"

"Legally?" Galyn quipped, causing Jarrett to smirk in response. "Ask for permission from Rahda Hall."

That didn't sound difficult. "I might be able to arrange that."

Galyn stiffened and spun around to face him, the two of them nearly standing chest to chest. "What?" she all but spluttered.

"I work for the Rahda hall, remember?" Jarrett smirked. "I'm sure I could do something."

Galyn continued to look at him in disbelief, as if it was hard for the comprehend that getting the files would be easy. "But it's all theory," she added.

"Everyone has concerns about the deaths," Jarrett retorted as he reached out to place his hand on Galyn's shoulder. "It's not all on you to investigate on your own."

"…No one will believe me," she murmured.

So Jarrett squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Let's find out."

* * *

Making his way back to the guild house, the first person Jarrett saw was the very person he was looking for.

"Simon," he said as he walked over to the silver-haired medic. "Would you help me with something?"

"Hm?" Simon murmured as he fiddled with his glasses.

"I need to get my hands on some medical documents from the clinic," Jarrett told him bluntly. "It's in regard to those mysterious deaths."

Simon abruptly stopped playing with his glasses, he posture becoming more serious than usual. "I see," he finally murmured as he peered over the rim of his glasses. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Author Notes: That was a very long chapter, but it was fun to write. I'm enjoying writing the interactions between Jarrett and Galyn. Beware, though, Mira makes a bigger appearance in the next chapter. I bet you're wondering what kind of trouble she's going to cause, right?


	6. Chapter 6

Walking away from Rahda Hall, Jarrett was somewhat disturbed by the amount of files and folders that he was carrying. He was also alarmed by how willingly the medical files were handed to him upon asking.

"That was easier than I thought," Jarrett said to Simon whom was walking next to him, who also had his arms full of documents and records.

"Seems as though Radha Hall is also concerned about the mysterious deaths," Simon commented. "There are a lot of files."

A lot of files. And Jarrett figured that if they don't act quickly and quietly, there was going to be a lot more.

"We better keep these a secret," Jarrett said to Simon in no uncertain terms.

And Simon immediately nodded in reply. "Understood."

Moving quickly, but not in a hurried manner so not to draw attention to themselves and the items they were holding, Jarrett and Simon headed back to the Manor. However, when they turned a corner and was less than a block from their destination, they almost ran into a familiar (and unwelcomed) blonde-haired medic.

Jarrett immediately felt suspicious when Mira gave him a pseudo startled expression, smiling shyly and fluttering her baby blues at him. He was certain that their meeting wasn't an accident. Despite what she was trying to convey, he felt that she had been waiting for them.

"Oh, you're from that White Fangs guild, aren't you?" Mira said with a voice sweet and melodious, almost flirty even. "I've heard all about you. You're becoming quite famous."

Sharing a sideways with Simon, Jarrett silently conveyed to him that the woman in front of them was the reason why they needed to keep the files they were carrying a secret. They couldn't afford to let her even get the idea that the Rahda Hall was allowing them to investigate the deaths at the clinic.

Thankfully catching on, Simon gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod of his head before the two of them turned their attention back to the medic before them. They both gave her a rather bland expression which caused Mira to blink and slightly narrow her eyes as if in annoyance. However, she smiled sweetly and placed her hand against her chest in a beautifully sincere manner.

"Oh, how rude of me," Mira said as she fluttered her eyes at him once again. "My name is Mira."

"I've heard of you," Jarrett said. And he didn't mean that in a nice way. He wasn't one of her mindless fans.

"Really?" Mira almost smirked, but managed to stop herself. Instead she tried to look flustered, reaching up to play with a strange of her wavy hair. But there wasn't a flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "My, how embarrassing."

"Indeed," Simon murmured, pushing his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose.

As an uncomfortable and awkward silence stretched out between the three of them, Mira seemed to looking up at them with expectation. She then twitched, the smile on her lips becoming more strained. It seemed that she was trying hard to maintain her sweet demeanour.

"…Aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" she asked them tersely.

Jarret didn't really see the point. "You already know who we are."

"Well, that's true," Mira said, her narrowed eyes starkly different to the smile on her lips. "But I think it would be nice if you introduced yourself to me."

"Jarrett."

"Simon."

Mira blinked in surprise. "Is that all?" she asked.

Jarrett arched an eyebrow at her. What else did she want? What else was she expecting? He wasn't sure and in all honesty, he didn't care to learn. Instead he rolled his eyes in annoyance before stepping around her with Simon doing the same.

"That's all that you need to know," he said bluntly as he walked away.

"Where are you going? Wouldn't it be nice if you stopped to chat for a while?" Mira demanded as she stomped after them. She was still trying to sound sweet and endearing, but she also sounded as if she was barely keeping her anger in check. This was probably the first time someone didn't immediately fawn over her at first sight.

They were probably pushing their luck. If Galyn was right in believing that Mira was behind the murders at the clinic, they could be in danger as well. But Jarrett couldn't even pretend that he tolerated Mira. Not after what he had witnessed and learnt. He was an honest guy. And he hated dishonest people.

"We're busy, as you can see," Simon said, not even bothering to glance over his shoulders as he and Jarrett continued on their way.

"Busy with what?"

With just a few more steps from the manor, Jarrett was about to tell Mira that it was none of her business when Galyn suddenly appeared in his line of view. She seemed to be leaving the direction of Shilleka's shop when she looked up, her expression brightening when she locked eyes with Jarrett.

"Hey," Galyn said as she quickly made her way over to them. She looked as though she wanted to ask him something when her expression suddenly changed into that of annoyance and disgust.

She must have realised that Mira was following them.

"Oh," Galyn murmured.

From behind him, Jarrett heard Mira tisk lowly in irritation. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see her expression darken frighteningly and her body physically twitch. However, a split second later she tried to smile warmly, as if she was a sweet little darling that adored everyone.

"Ah, it's Galyn," she said as she arrogantly moved to stand next to Jarrett. "My, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Galyn simply glared at her, making no attempt to mask her contempt for her. "Not long enough," she muttered.

Mira looked mockingly shocked and pained by her response. "How rude," she whispered as she lowered her chin to her chest and turn slightly toward Jarrett. She then peered up at Jarrett through her blonde hair expectantly.

Jarrett, however, gave her a blank look. She was probably expecting him to coo over her, wrap his arm around her shoulders to comfort her as he tells Galyn off for being mean to her. If so, she would be waiting for a long time.

"Galyn," Jarrett said as he stepped forward to stand directly in front of Galyn and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We've been looking for you."

Tearing her gaze away from Mira, Galyn looked up at Jarrett with a softly genuine expression of surprise. "Huh?"

"What?" Mira hissed in disbelief and anger. She soon caught herself and coughed into her hand. "I mean, oh, you're friends? How interesting…"

Jarrett ignored Mira as he focused his attention on Galyn. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze before turning her around and pushing her toward their guild house. "Let's head to the Mansion."

Seemingly unwilling to be ignored (especially for someone like Galyn), Mira ran around to stand in front of them. Despite the way she was gritting her teeth and the way her hands her pulled into tight fists by her sides, she smiled sweetly at them. "You live in that beautiful old mansion? Must be amazing inside. I would love to see it."

"Sorry," Jarrett said as he pulled Galyn to walk around Mira, Simon wordlessly doing to same. "But we don't allow strangers to venture inside."

"But Galyn is going inside!" Mira shouted in annoyance.

Jarrett wrapped an arm around Galyn's shoulders as he glared over his shoulder. "She's not a stranger," he said firmly before walking off, leaving Mira furious and spluttering behind them.

Galyn made no attempt to remove herself from Jarrett's arm, even as they move toward the entrance of the mansion where Simon was standing with the door open. "You're antagonising her," she said softly.

Jarrett shrugged carelessly. "I guess she's not as beloved as she thinks."

A small, soft smile appeared on Galyn's lips and she seemed to relax in his hold. "…Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," Jarrett said as he reluctantly removed his arm from around Galyn's shoulders and dropped a couple of folders he was carrying into her hands.

Galyn immediately grasped the files, her eyes widening in realisation. She pulled open the top file and quickly flicked through the papers inside. "…You actually did it," she whispered.

"Radha Hall is also worried," Jarrett explained as he led into the manor. "We must leave them at the mansion, though. For safe keeping."

Carrying half of the files, Simon headed upstairs. He paused halfway up the stairs, though, to look down at Galyn. "Come, Galyn."

"You…?" Galyn looked genuinely surprised. But she quickly snapped herself out of it and closed the file she had quickly scanned. "Ah, ok."

"Welcome back," Rosa, the mansion's ever dutiful and efficient maid greeted the moment Jarrett stepped inside. "I see that we have a guest."

"This is Galyn," Jarrett introduced as he pushed Galyn toward the stairs. "She'll be working here for a while. Please give her any assistance."

"Of course," Rosa replied without hesitation. "Allow me to prepare some tea."

"Appreciate it, Rosa."

Heading into the small library room upstairs, Jarrett placed down the files he was carrying and took a step back to allow the medics to get to work. He didn't have the slightest idea on medicine or healing, so there was little point in him trying to offer his assistance. He did linger in the doorway, though.

Spreading all the files out onto a large wooden table, Galyn suddenly stilled as she counted the medical documents. "There are…a lot more files then I first feared," she whispered, sounding quite devastated.

Standing on the other side of the table, Simon nodded his head grimly. "I'll help," he said.

"Are you sure?" Galyn asked him, gratitude in her expression, but also a sense of reluctance. "You have a guild to look after."

"It's fine," Simon immediately answered as he picked up a file and sat himself down in a chair. "As a fellow medic, I cannot turn a blind eye to this…I also have a feeling that you might be right. I have heard a lot about Mira, but have seen nothing."

Galyn sent Simon a small smile before she picked up a file of her own. "Thank you."

With those two medics working together, they were certain to find out what really killed those unfortunate explorers. But now that Mira knew that Galyn was associating with Jarrett and his guild, and that he preferred Galyn over her, Mira was certain to do whatever it took to get involved in their lives.

They needed to be extra cautious in the future.


	7. Chapter 7

Jarrett rested against the bar as he waited for the drinks he had ordered. Galyn and Simon had spent the last couple of days checking and double checking the patient reports. And what Jarrett had heard from their mumblings, they weren't at all pleased with what they were reading. They were also starting to draw some conclusions.

After being holed up in the Mansion for a while, Raquna insisted that everyone spend a few hours at the pub. The new surroundings, she insisted, would refresh them and give them new way of thinking.

Of course, no one believed her. They all knew that Raquna simply wanted to get drunk.

Still, getting the two dedicated medics out of the Mansion was a good idea. Despite Galyn's protests, Ricky had insisted that she join them at the pub for a drink or two. Currently, the katana wielding medic was experiencing a more than slightly inebriated Raquna.

Glancing over his shoulder, Jarrett bit back a smirk when Raquna unexpectedly threw her arms around Galyn, the orange-haired floundering in an adorably embarrassed manner. She looked so shocked and bewildered, not entirely sure what to make of Raquna's overly friendly manner or the way the other members of Jarrett's guild seemed to be regarding her as one of their own.

"Jarrett."

Turning his attention to his other side, Jarrett narrowed his eyes when he realised that the person trying to get his attention was Mira. Behind her he could see several of her admirers glaring at him with distain.

And with warning. 'Don't you dare hurt Mira' they were silently telling him.

"What?" Jarrett asked tersely, not remotely intimidated by Mira's groupies.

With her back toward her admirers, Mira's sweet-as-candy facade dimmed as she glared at him for being rude. She, however, soon fluttered her blue eyes at him as she leaned toward him, her hands clutched against her chest in prayer.

"You should stay away from Galyn," Mira said as she lowered her voice into a sweet whisper. "She's what you would call rather strange. She's a girl, but dresses as a guy."

Jarrett rose an eyebrow as he leaned against the bar. "There isn't a law against that."

Mira reeled back in surprise and straightened her posture. "But isn't that really odd?" she questioned as she frowned at him.

"Not at all." Jarrett continued to give Mira a purely unamused and sceptical look.

Odd? A woman choosing to wear men's clothing wasn't odd. Now boulders coming to life to mow you down was odd. Large praying mantis threatening you with their pincers was odd. Getting ambushed and nearly wiped out by pretty purple butterflies was odd. In fact, compared to a lot of things and people that Jarrett had seen and met so far, Galyn was _normal_.

Mira opened and closed her mouth in a shocked manner. She snapped her mouth her shut and gave a forced and strained smile. "...Well, it's nice to see that you're so accepting," she managed to bite out, sounding as if she was speaking through gritted teeth. It seemed that she was having a hard time keeping up her oh-so precious appearance.

"You really shouldn't talk about people behind their backs," Jarrett couldn't help but chide.

For a brief moment Mira looked utterly appalled that Jarrett dared to point out a fault. She clenched her hands tightly into fists and looked sorely tempted to lash out and slap him. But instead, she managed to compose herself, straightening her posture and brushing back her luxurious hair.

"…I'm just worried for you," Mira said as she glanced over Jarrett's shoulder, her eyes narrowing bitterly. "Galyn is very unpredictable and cold. You've seen how badly she treats me, right? Also, it's bad to be seen with her. She's nothing but trouble."

Jarrett also straightened his posture as a surge of protectiveness washed over him. "How so?"

"I told you why," Mira snapped.

"Those are your observations," Jarrett retorted coolly.

Mira glared at him with such rage that Jarrett felt his body become defensive. With luck, Mira will lash out and show her real self to everyone in the bar. But then again, she would just put all the blame on him and turn everyone against him.

"You know, you are awfully rude," Mira hissed lowly.

Jarrett shrugged carelessly. "Again, that's your observation."

"Is everything alright, Mira?" a feminine voice suddenly asked. "Is he being rude to you?"

The glare of hatred on Mira's face abruptly changed into that overly sweet expression, fluttering her eyelashes as three more female explorers approached. Momo, Akiko and Jackie. The Sirens.

Great. It was his lucky night, huh?

"He's being rude because of Galyn," Mira whispered sweetly as she once again folded her hands against her chest in a sincere manner.

Jarrett felt his eye twitch. "No, I'm being rude because I don't like you," he stated sharply.

Protector Momo spun around to glare fearsomely at Jarrett. "Don't you dare hurt Mira's feelings like that," she practically snarled at him as her hand unconsciously reached to rest against the hilt of her sword.

Jarrett narrowed his eyes at the motion, noticing that Akiko and Jackie did the same and Mira had moved to the back of the group, looking rather smug.

"You're going to attack me?" he asked as he took a step forward, towering over the pink-haired protector, just urging her to try something against him while making no attempt to reach for his own weapon. "Just like you did to Galyn in the labyrinth?"

Momo took a step back as an expression of shock appeared on her face, Jackie and Akiko mimicking the same emotion. They seemed truly surprised that he knew what they had done and had actually had the audacity to call them out on it.

"She was asking for that," Akiko abruptly simpered, haughtily lifting her chin in a superior fashion. "She was being rude."

"I am finding you annoying," Jarrett said coolly. "Does that mean I can beat you up?"

"Let's go," Jackie commanded after a drawn out silence.

"What is with that jerk?" Momo asked as she walked off with her guild members.

Mira said nothing and simply glared at him over her shoulder. But she also had a look of determination.

Crap. She was probably going to target him now. Either to tame him or change him. Both, probably. A young woman breaking down his barriers with sweetness and light? Yeah, the stuff of romance books. She probably couldn't stand the fact that there was someone else, a man no less, wasn't fawning over her.

Jarrett sighed and ran a hand through his hair. At least they don't seem to be suspicious of him. Not yet anyway. Still, he got the indication that it won't be the last he'll see of them. Unfortunately.

"Wow!" Raquna's slurring voice suddenly echoed throughout the pub. "You really are soft and feminine aren't you?"

Turning his attention back to his own guild, Jarrett saw that Raquna was flopped over Galyn, her hands a little too…touchy-feely as Ricky, Simon and Arthur looked on, Ricky and Arthur with embarrassment while Simon looked utterly exasperated.

"W-would you get off of me, please?" Galyn stuttered as she tried, unsuccessfully, to push the red-haired protector off of her.

Raquna giggled drunkenly as her hands became a little more insistent, wandering up to rest against Galyn's chest. "Your boobs are so soft and bouncy," she said as she cupped Galyn's breasts to accentuate their fullness.

"S-stop that!" Galyn shrilled as she doubled in her efforts to get away from Raquna.

Jarrett pinched his nose as he grabbed the tray of his previously ordered drinks and made his way over to them. His guild was the centre of attention due to Raquna's actions. Maybe it was a good thing. Only a few of Mira's most prominent admirers would have been carefully watching her interacting with Jarrett at the bar.

Jarrett reached his guild and placed the tray of drinks onto the table, giving Galyn a rather sympathetic look while trying not to break out into a grin. She did look cute when she was frazzled.

"No need to be shy. You're so cute," Raquna giggled as she effortlessly held onto a frantic Galyn. She abruptly let the female medic go before turning to Ricky and wrapping her arms around the young blonde, nuzzling her cheek on the top of Ricky's head. "Not as cute as my Ricky!"

Completely undisturbed by Raquna clinging onto her, Ricky instead glanced down at her own chest and frowned deeply. "...Your boobs are bigger than mine," she murmured, sounding on the verge of tears.

Galyn blushed darkly as she folded her arms over her chest, putting a rather large distance between herself and Raquna by moving to hide behind Jarrett. "Can we stop talking about breasts, please?"

"Is this what girls like to talk about?" Arthur asked, looking utterly bewildered.

"Sorry," Simon said as he turned his attention to Galyn, whom was still hiding. "She's always like this when she has a little too much to drink."

"Maybe we should call it a night before she enters her weepy stage," Jarrett suggested.

Simon winced and nodded his head. "Marginally better than her angry stage."

* * *

After having to physically drag Raquna out of the pub, which was not an easy thing to do, and back to their guild house Jarrett left Raquna in the care of both Ricky and Rosa. The young woman had ample experience dealing with drunken and difficult patrons.

Having changed into his sleepwear, Jarrett decided to go in search for Galyn. The orange-haired medic had accompanied them back to the Mansion in order to throw herself back into her work. Jarrett agreed to let her, as long as she promised to get some sleep during the night. The small cot in the corner of the room wasn't there for decoration after all.

"Raquna should be asleep by now," Jarrett said when he found Galyn in the library like room.

Galyn nodded, looking utterly relieved. "She's certainly a…touchy-feely kind of person, isn't she?"

Jarrett tried not to snort. Well, Raquna certainly was when she was drunk. "You could say that."

Galyn nodded her head once more as she turned her attention back to the medical documents on the table in front of her. However, she kept rubbing at her chest absentmindedly with her hand and Jarrett couldn't help but be drawn to it, trying his best not to blatantly stare. Even in her loose, large clothing, the way she tugged at her shirt revealed a couple of certain bumps on her chest. And ample cleavage. Shit. They looked perky…

"What?"

Blinking, Jarrett realised that he must have been staring and quickly coughed into his hand. It was only then did he noticed what she was wearing, which consisted of nothing more than a dress shirt buttoned all the way to her chest. Her hair was left out of its usual tie and was hanging around her shoulders and framing her face. She looked so…girly. Jarrett never had any cares for gender, but seeing Galyn dressed so…skimpily, he couldn't help but notice that she was indeed a woman.

"Hm? Nothing," he said as he unconsciously straightened his posture, reminding himself to be cool, stoic and aloof. "Is that all you wear to bed?"

"Yeah, so?" Galyn said as she took a moment to look down at her clothing as she placed a hand on her hip. She then glanced up at him to give him a questioning look. "It's comfortable."

…It was also rather sexy. Damn it, didn't she know that? Those long legs, those slender thighs, flawless skin all the way to her butt…

"It's rather cool tonight," Jarrett said. "You need to keep warm."

…No, he wasn't going to ask if he could be the one to keep her warm. That would be creepy. Something he would enjoy, but still creepy nonetheless.

Galyn gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to the medical files. "Thanks for your concern, but I get hot easily."

…It more ways than one.

"Make sure you get some sleep tonight," Jarrett murmured before making a quick exit.


	8. Chapter 8

After a rather successful day in the labyrinth, Jarrett was leading his team back into town, intent on heading back to the Mansion. The more he thought about Galyn's personal mission on finding out what happened to those deceased explorers, the more he didn't like it. Those explorers had been murdered. No doubt about that. But how they were murdered was still a mystery to them.

One thing certain, though – Mira was involved in some way.

"Oh, hello everyone." Ah, speak of the she-devil herself.

Jarrett felt a scowl appear on his face as he reluctantly turned his attention to the blonde-haired medic. He would like to ignore her and keep walking, but Mira and her guild the Sirens were virtually blocking his path.

Flicking his gaze toward Mira, Jarrett narrowed his eyes further. Mira was standing in front of the group, looking precious and beautiful as she placed her hand over her heart in a sincere manner.

"Oh, I am so glad to see that you are all safe and sound," Mira sighed dramatically as she smiled with relief.

Jarrett's eyebrow twitched as the rest of his guild stood silently behind him. Simon sighed as he pushed up his glasses onto his nose, Arthur folded his arms behind his head, Ricky tilted her head to the side in question and Raquna simply blinked. No one made any attempt to engage in any friendly talk.

Somewhat startled by the lack of response, Mira's eyes subtly hardened, but she continued to smile so brightly. "We should all sit down for some drinks. Two guild mixing together sounds like fun, don't you think?"

Before Jarrett could bite out a direct 'No', Raquna beat him in replying.

"I'm always up for a drink or two!" she grinned widely.

Not wanting to leave his teammates alone with the guild he suspected had something to do with the sudden increase of deaths at the clinic, Jarrett reluctantly agreed to tag along. He didn't miss the smug look on Mira sent him before fluttering her eyelashes at Simon, who was wisely unresponsive.

Mira continued to flit and flirt between the two guilds as they made their way into the bar; appearing as though she was attempting to fuss over everyone. As everyone took their seats, Mira made her way over to the bar to order their drinks, flicking her hair over her shoulder and sashayed through the other patrons and admirers.

Ignoring the way the Sirens were trying to chat with Arthur and Simon (and totally snubbing Ricky and Raquna) Jarrett felt his eyebrow twitch again, irritated by how everyone seemed to be swooning over Mira. She wasn't popular or beloved – she was practically worshipped. It was sicking.

After ordering her drinks, Mira seemed to linger at the bar as Valerie moved onto the next patron. Mira huddled near the drinks, hunched over them, before suddenly straightening, flicking back her hair and seemed to compose herself. Picking up the tray, she quickly made her way back over to the table.

"Here, I got everyone drinks," Mira said as she placed the tray onto the table, immediately picking up a cup in the middle of the tray.

"Thanks, Mir!" Momo beamed as she took her drink and gave Mira an over the top look of admiration and gratitude. "You're so kind."

Mira returned the compliment with a smile before turning to look at Jarrett and placing the drink she had immediately grabbed in front of him. "Here you go, Jarrett," she said as she smiled sweetly. "Just for you."

Jarrett glanced at the drink, at first making no attempt to take it as he found it rather suspicious. But as he glanced up to look with narrow eyes toward Mira, he caught something over her shoulder. The sight of a familiar orange-haired medic, with her medical bag over her shoulder and katana strapped to her side was greatly reassuring.

So, Jarrett took the drink, not missing the slight upturning of the corners of Mira's lips. Interesting. She seemed to be waiting for something. However, instead of taking a sip, like the others were doing around him, he stood up from his seat, keeping a hold of his drink.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked him, looking up at him with questioning eyes.

"To check something," Jarrett muttered in quick response as he kept his gaze forward and quickly headed in the direction where Galyn was.

"Oh, hey, it's Galyn," Arthur commented, seemingly having made the connection of where Jarrett was heading.

Raquna snorted and made a noise that sounded like an amused giggle, already slightly drunk. "Seems like our highlander wants a little alone time, hm?"

"Jarrett and Galyn? A couple?" Ricky gasped before making a surprising noise of excitement. "Really?!"

Ignoring the funny feeling in his stomach he got when Ricky mentioned the possibly of him and Galyn together, Jarrett walked straight up to where Galyn was loitering near the bar. She had her bag on a stool and was looking through it, possibly looking for something.

Reaching her, Jarrett placed his mug of beer onto the bar. "Here," he said.

Galyn snapped her head up, looking surprised. However, she furrowed her brow when she glanced at the drink that he had placed in front of her. "Thanks, but I don't drink," she said as she returned to looking through her bag.

"No, check it for poison," Jarrett said bluntly, once again causing Galyn to snap her head up to look at him. "Mira gave me this."

A look of understanding appeared on Galyn's face and she nodded her head. "I see," she murmured as she reached into her bag and pulled out a small leather bound kit.

Slipping to sit on a stool, Galyn placed the kit onto the bar and opened it up, revealing a few vials and medical tools, with these odd small pieces of paper like items. She picked up a pair of tweezers and a small piece of those paper things. They must be a testing slip to see if the drink (or whatever the medic was studying) was poisonous. Pinching the paper slip with the tweezers at one end, Galyn dipped the other end in the drink and it quickly turned purple.

When she frowned, Jarrett knew that she had made a discovery.

"Well?" he asked as he placed a hand on the back of Galyn's seat and leaned closer to her.

Galyn looked up at him with an expression of concern shimmering in her violet eyes. "The drink has been spiked, not by a poison, but by a sedative agent."

"If I have drunk it, I would have fallen asleep?" Jarrett questioned.

Galyn nodded her head almost grimly. "Immediately. There is enough to put a Tusk Ruin to sleep."

Ah, so that was what she was doing at the bar. "Would a refresh be able to awaken me?"

"Yeah," Galyn answered as she chewed on her bottom lip, her hands curling into tight fists on top of the bar. "Seems like she's got her eye on you."

Jarrett frowned. "Seems so."

Slowly packing up her things, Galyn swivelled in her seat to face Jarrett fully. She looked silently distraught, if a little vulnerable. "You had better be careful. I still don't know how she's poisoning others yet," she whispered desperately.

"I'll be fine," Jarrett reassured as he straightened up in order to head back to his guild.

However, as he turned to move Galyn suddenly grabbed onto his arm, pulling him to an abrupt stop and to look at her. "Just-!" she said with wide eyes before abruptly stopping herself. She looked momentarily surprised by her own actions and abruptly looked away.

Still, she kept a hold on his arm but refused to look at him with her eyes. "D-don't turn your back, ok?" Galyn silently pleaded.

Her concern for him was endearing and she looked so…sincere. Jarrett felt his gaze soften as he turned to face her once more, uncaring that the bar was full. He slipped his finger under her chin and tilted her head up so that he could look into her eyes.

"She won't get me," he said, firm and yet reassuring.

A light blush flittering across Galyn's cheeks, her eyes shimmering with an emotion that Jarrett couldn't quite describe. She parted her lips, as if to say something else, but instead she silently nodded her head.

"Head back to the Mansion," Jarrett said as he caressed the side of her face with his hand. "I'll handle things here."

"…Ok," Galyn breathed, the blush on her cheeks darkening further.

Jarrett reluctantly pulled back his hand, noticing that Galyn seemed to shiver. However, she skittishly turned her attention back to her bag and picked it up before making a hasty exit. Jarrett watched her leave, waiting to see if any of the Sirens or Mira's groupies will follow. If they did, he would follow them to make sure they wouldn't do anything to Galyn.

Thankfully, they wisely chose not to.

Grabbing his drink, Jarrett made his way back over to the table where his guild was sitting with the Siren. He plastered a blank expression on his face when he noticed that the two guilds were watching him from a far and probably had been the entire time. His guild looked somewhat amused, Ricky practically glowing at him. The Sirens and Mira, on the other hand…

"Thanks for the drink, but I have no intention of falling asleep just yet," Jarrett said tersely as he all but slammed the still full mug of bear in the centre of the table.

Mira reeled her head back in surprise before a nervous smile appeared on her lips. "W-what do you mean?" she stuttered, trying to sound clueless.

Jarrett levelled Mira with a cold stare. "Drink it," he said as he removed his grip on the drink.

Mira became suspicious pale. "No, I couldn't. It's yours," she murmured lamely.

Jarrett coolly glanced at the suspiciously silent members of the Sirens. "Then someone else drink it."

"No!" Mira yelled as she made a harsh grab for the drink, but pulled back when Jarrett pulled it just out of reach. An angry expression appeared fleetingly on her face before she tried to smile politely once more, managing to gather herself quite quickly. "I mean, that would be rude, taking someone else's drink."

Jarrett simply arched an eyebrow at her. "What if I don't want it?"

Mira's expression became obviously strained and she managed to bite out through gritted teeth, "Then you should hand it back to the bar."

"It's rude to waste things," Jarrett retorted as he tugged the drink over to his side of the table and released his hold on it.

"I'll have it!" Raquna suddenly exclaimed as she snatched the drink before anyone else had the chance too. But as she brought it up to her lips, her nose wrinkled in disgust and she abruptly pulled it away from her. "Ew, smells like sleeping gas!" she whined.

"Sleeping gas?" Simon muttered as he leaned across the table and snatched the drink from Raquna's grip. "Let me see." He then dipped his finger into the liquid and brought it up to his nose. Immediately, his brow furrowed. "There IS a sleeping agent in here."

"I didn't do it," Jarrett stated as he sat down in a chair and folded his arms over his chest. "Someone else did."

"Oh, did you smell it and have it examined by Galyn?" Ricky asked, turning to give Jarrett her full attention.

Jarrett glanced at Ricky from the corner of his eye and gave her a small smile. "That's right."

Again, Ricky's expression practically glowed. "She's so cool!" she squealed.

Mira's expression, on the other hand, darkened considerable. "Then she must have-"

Jarrett glared at her. "No," he said sharply, cutting her off.

"How can you be sure?" Mira hissed as she pushed herself to her feet, the girls around her doing to same, as if trying to intimidate him. "She's the local weirdo around here."

Jarrett, however, stayed seated and continued to regard them with a narrow gaze. "That's not a very polite thing to say, now is it? Especially about a fellow medic."

"Let's go, Mira," Momo suddenly bit out, glaring with absolute hatred at Jarrett. "There's no need to hang around these assholes anymore."

Mira dropped her chin to her chest so that her blond hair curtained around her face. She made a few noises of distress as she nodded her had. "Ok."

"There there, Mira," Jackie cooed as she wrapped an arm around Mira's shoulders and began to lead her away. "Don't cry."

Jarrett didn't fully relax until they were completely out of sight. When they disappeared, he unfolded his arms and slunk back in his seat. So annoying. Dealing with the monsters in the labyrinth was much easier. And appealing.

"They were the fakest tears I've ever seen!" Raquna slurred loudly.

"Hey, did she put sleeping gas in Jarrett's drink?" Arthur asked, leaning forward in his seat so that he could whisper his question.

"…Seems that way," Simon murmured as he glanced wearily in the direction Mira and the Sirens left before looking over to Jarrett who was sitting next to him. "Galyn was right, wasn't she?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah…"

* * *

Author's Note: Ah, the plot thickens. Expect more moments between Jarrett and Galyn in the future.


	9. Chapter 9

While it was somewhat satisfying to put Mira in her place, Jarrett was feeling uneasy. To put a sleeping agent in his drink in the middle of a crowded bar was reckless, but Mira wasn't stupid. She knew what a bar patron suddenly slumping against the bar or table wasn't anything uncommon – it happened all the time. But she would be the only one who wouldn't have 'assumed' that he was simply drunk and would go about 'saving' him in a dramatic fashion.

Why? Well, it was probably because she didn't like it when someone wasn't fawning over her. While her true motives were unknown at this point, there was definitely a hint of vanity involved. She was doing what she was doing because she liked the attention.

After all, she was a goddess in some people's eyes.

And that in itself could be dangerous. Jarrett never cared much for reputations or the judgement of others, but with weapon wielding explorers insistent that Mira was the best thing since sliced bread, some of them might try to restore Mira's honour.

Or she would whine to them about those meanie White Fangs.

The last thing Jarrett wanted was to be responsible for sending more explorers to the clinic.

However, Jarrett couldn't help but wonder why. Why was Mira so beloved and worshipped? He had never seen her do anything miraculous or anything of note, really. He didn't think she was that beautiful. Perhaps he was bias. But was he and his guild the only ones to see Mira for who she really was? To him she was nothing more than a flirt.

How could the rest of Etria not see that?

Jarrett was pulled from his musings when he heard someone wandering about the mansion. The footsteps were quiet, to be mindful of the others who had gone to bed, so he assumed that either Simon or Galyn was up. Not Raquna as she was drunk and when she was drunk, she didn't have an indoor voice. Not Ricky or Arthur as the two were a little…clumsy at times.

Throwing off the bed sheets, Jarrett slipped out of bed and walked out of his room. As he glanced up the hallway he noticed that there was a light coming from the library and immediately made his way toward the room. He wasn't remotely surprised to find the orange-haired Galyn leaning over a document laden table. She was still dressed in her day clothes, but her hair from free from the usual ponytail, seemingly yanked out in frustration.

"Hey," Jarrett greeted as he walked into the room. "You're still awake?"

Galyn lifted her head up to look over toward him, granting him a small, tired smile before turning her attention back to the papers. "I'm still researching."

Jarrett figured as much as he ventured closer, coming to a stop near the table. He looked down at all the documents and frowned. "There are a lot of files," he commented.

"That's because there's been a lot of deaths," Galyn explained with a sigh, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "More so recently than before."

Jarrett nodded his head absentmindedly. Simon must have retrieved more files from Radha hall himself. "Do you think Mira is responsible for all of these?"

"…Not all, but most."

It was almost hard to believe.

"How could anyone allow this to occur for so long?" Jarrett questioned with a sense of irritation growing in the pit of his stomach.

Galyn sighed. "She is her father's daughter, I guess."

Jarrett blinked. "Pardon?"

"Oh, right, you're not a local here in Etria are you?" Galyn said as she looked somewhat sheepish before explaining what she meant. "Mira's father was a legendary doctor at the clinic. One of the best that Etria had ever seen. He reportedly was able to remove curses, revive the nearly dead and even cure petrification."

"That good, huh?" Jarrett commented absentmindedly as things slowly started to fall into place for him. "I take it she's looked upon as some prodigy?"

Galyn huffed slightly before nodding her head as she continued to look over the files. "Her mother was her biggest cheerleader, telling everyone how marvellous her little girl was and how she was just as brilliant, even better than her father."

Jarrett stroke his chin in thought. "Does her father have much influence in Etria?"

"Used to," Galyn replied as she ran her hand through her hair again. "He died a couple of years ago. Ironic, really, that he should die of a heart attack."

That would actually explain a lot. Mira had a reputation to live up to, some big shoes to fill. And what better way to earn praise than to create her own medical emergency? Then again, most of the patients at the clinic had died. Why? Why was she killing them off one by one? There had to be some other reason than simply an ego thing.

Then again, no one really understood why killers kill. To them their obscene reasons were justification. To the rest of the planet it was plain murder.

The death of Mira's father and the high reputation that followed might be a reason for her behaviour, but not an excuse. It was also a reason why everyone seemed to adore her. They were assuming that she was as talented as her father. They had high hopes for her and any little mistake she made was just progress and because she was young.

And maybe, just maybe, the reason why no one else was willing to say a bad word about her. It would be an insult to her deceased father.

"It also helps that Mira has a sweet voice and angelic appearance," Galyn added bitterly. "No one wants to believe that she could do anything to hurt anyone. Beautiful people like her can't do anything wrong." She then sighed and shook her head. "I have the opposite problem. I'm so plain and boring looking that I could be capable of such things."

Jarrett raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "I don't think you're plain and boring."

Galyn sighed as she pushed away from the table and began to massage the back of her neck. "You're just saying that."

Jarrett felt himself frown. He didn't really like the way she said that, like she didn't believe someone could honestly compliment her. But it was also the feeling that he got that other explorers and adventurers were accusing her of such heinous acts. That thought alone made him feel protective.

"You are a very talented medic."

Galyn seemed surprised by the sudden compliment, almost suspicious. She glanced over at him in disbelief, probably wondering what he wanted from her before deciding it would be best to smile and nod. "Thanks," she uttered before turning her attention back to her work.

Jarrett reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to pause and look up at him again in confusion. "I mean it," he said firmly, fearlessly looking into her eyes.

Galyn immediately blushed, looking cutely embarrassed as she tensed. "...I see," she stuttered as she abruptly turned to look elsewhere, picking up a random piece of paper. "Y-you shouldn't let your guild's medic hear that."

"I'm sure that Simon would agree," Jarrett said, finding her reaction amusing as well as a bit endearing and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Don't stay up to late."

"O-ok," Galyn murmured.

Dropping his hand from her shoulder, Jarrett turned around with the intent of heading back to his room for some rest of his own.

"Shit."

Jarrett paused and glanced over to Galyn. "What?"

"Sorry," Galyn said as she winced. "I just remembered that I left a document back at home. I need to get it."

Jarrett felt himself frown as Galyn reached for her belongings. "Now?"

"I'll be fine," Galyn was quick to reply as she placed her medical bag on her shoulder and attached her katana to her side. "I doubt Mira will be awake. She needs her beauty sleep, after all."

Jarrett couldn't ignore the feeling of unease that appeared in his stomach as he watched Galyn quickly but quietly rush from the mansion. It wasn't Mira herself that he was worried about. It was her guild and her fanboys that was bothering him.

…Wouldn't hurt to tail her.

Jarrett ducked back to his room long enough to slip on a pair of boots and to holster his weapon before silently making his way outside. It wasn't hard for him to remember where Galyn's apartment was and he knew that she preferred to stick to the shadows rather than to take the well-lit pathways.

Ducking down a dark alleyway, Jarrett didn't travel very far when he heard voices. Voices he recognised. He cursed silently and stealthy moved closer. Placing his back against the wall, he peered around the corner and felt a surge of anger and protectiveness.

Pressed up against the wall was Galyn and she was surrounded by the three members of the Sirens Guild. They must have been waiting for her, probably due to Mira's prompting. After all, Galyn was instrumental in the revealing of Jarrett's spiked drink.

Despite the way Galyn was cornered by three irritated and weapon wielding female explorers, she didn't appear frightened. Of course, that was probably just a facade. She was probably remembering the last time she was confronted alone by these explorers and was inwardly anticipating some pain.

Not this time, though.

"What do you want?" Galyn asked the women with a bored tone.

Momo, the pink-haired protector, glared at her as she idly trailed her fingers over the hilt of her sword. "It would be of your best interest if you leave both Mira and Jarrett alone."

Galyn rolled her eyes while Jarrett narrowed his own. He won't reveal himself just yet. He wanted to see if these women will reveal some of Mira's murderous intentions and what exactly she wanted from him.

"I have no intention of getting involved with Mira," Galyn replied tersely.

Jackie, the pink-haired dark hunter, slowly pulled out her whip, holding it casually while also threateningly. "You're getting in-between her and Jarrett."

Galyn frowned, looking incredulous. "What? You're playing matchmakers?" she asked, sounding both bewildered and disgusted. "What if Jarrett doesn't want anything to do with Mira?"

"Of course he does," Jackie tutted, making Galyn narrow her eyes and Jarrett to prickle with annoyance. "Mira is beautiful and sweet. Perfect for him. He's just incapable of expressing himself because he's a man."

Jarrett felt his eye twitched.

"Right. And he has no say in this either," Galyn rolled her eyes with contempt once more before attempting to slip past them. "Excuse me."

Before Glayn could move an inch, though, Akiko, the black-haired ronin abruptly unsheathed her blade and used it to block Galyn's path. Galyn blinked at the blade before turning her attention to Akiko.

"Where are you going?" Akiko asked, although it didn't sound much like a question.

"That's none of your business," Galyn replied sharply as she boldly placed her hand on the blade and pushed it away.

"You're not going anywhere!"

As she tried to leave again Momo suddenly lashed out, grabbing Galyn by the front of her shirt and slamming her back against the wall. Galyn gasped at the force, needing a moment to regain her breath, giving Momo the time to pull away, only for Akiko to take her place, pointing the very tip of her katana at Galyn's chest.

"You better stay away from Jarrett, you understand?" Akiko hissed at her as she purposely pressed her blade just a little bit closer, not enough to physically cut Galyn's skin, but to cut her clothing.

Galyn pressed herself up against the wall in attempt to put some distance between her and the katana, while Jarrett began to plot how he was going to intervene. He didn't want to startle the female ronin with her blade so dangerously close to Galyn.

"Is Mira threatened by me that much?" Galyn defiantly asked.

An expression of pure hate and disgust appeared on the three women's face.

"Who would feel threatened by a she-man like you?" Akiko snarled as she slashed down her blade, purposely shredding the front of Galyn's shirt, exposing her chest.

Before anyone could react, Jarrett darted out from the shadows and drew his weapon from his back into a defensive position. He then reached out to grab Galyn, wrapping his arm across her chest, preventing her from being fully exposed. He then pulled her back against his chest as he rested his chin against her temple, holding her undeniably close to him.

"You-?" Akiko managed to stutter before lurching backwards when Jarrett pointed his harpoon toward her.

"It would be of your best interest if you leave Galyn alone," Jarrett said lowly, his voice steel cold and stern as he glared at the Sirens. He pulled Galyn closer against him, the orange-haired medic sinking against his chest in shock.

He could also feel Galyn tremble slightly as she reached up with her hands to grasp at his forearm that was concealing her chest. Although she refused to show it outwardly, he just knew that she was feeling vulnerable and violated by what had happened.

That really pissed Jarrett off.

"And tell Mira to back off," Jarrett added with a low growl. "I'm not interested in her."

The three members of the Sirens were shocked to see Jarrett, even a little fearful as he made absolutely no attempt to hide his distain toward them. And in all honesty, if Galyn wasn't feeling scared and exposed, he might have attacked the three without remorse. What they had done was inexcusable.

Instead of standing their ground and firing back some utterly unoriginal and unimaginative retorts, the three women wisely chose to flee. There wasn't even a time for the three to discuss what they should do – they just ran.

And Jarrett let them. He'd deal with those three bitches and that Mira some time later. His main concern was Galyn.

Keeping Galyn close to him and his weapon hanging idly in his other hand, Jarrett slowly relaxed and turned his head to look upon her, finding the talented medic flustered and submissive. She had a tight grip on his arm, her eyes closed and she was drawing in deep breathes in order to relax herself.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Galyn responded on reflex, even as she tightened her grip on his arm and her body trembled. "I'm used to that."

Jarrett didn't believe her, of course. No one could be 'all right' after a confrontation like that. "We need to get you some clothes."

"Yeah," Galyn murmured as she opened her eyes, seeming finding the inner strength to compose herself. She looked down at her chest, her blush deepening when she realised just how close she was to being exposed completely. Other than Jarrett's muscular arm, there was very little covering her.

"Um, thanks for that," Galyn stuttered as she removed her grip on his arm and began to tug at her medical coat, covering herself up, making herself feel just that little bit better.

Jarrett pulled back his arm, but stayed close to her nonetheless, listening and waiting protectively for anyone who might be perceived as a threat. After Galyn managed to settle herself down, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps, probably that of another explorer. Deciding not to stick around these dark alleyways any longer, Jarrett wrapped a reassuring arm around Galyn's shoulders and proceeded to escort her back to her apartment. And Galyn allowed him to, wrapping her arms around herself and sinking submissively against his side.

Silently, Jarrett walked Galyn to her apartment and was the first to step inside just in case one of Mira's many followers could be lying in wait. After ensuring the place was safe, Galyn hurried inside and made a beeline to her closet. After picking out a new shirt, Galyn stepped into the bath room to change and to freshen herself up.

And Jarrett stayed by the front door, acting as security, of which she seemed thankful for. She seemed to be calmer now, having reached the sanctuary of her own home.

However, in Jarrett's opinion, it would be better if Galyn moved into the mansion with him and his guild. He didn't want a repeat of what happened tonight.

"Are you really all right?" Jarrett asked when Galyn re-emerged from the bathroom in a fresh set of clothes.

"Yeah," Galyn replied as she curled a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Really. That wasn't the first time that happened…It was the first time they did it in town, though."

Jarrett nodded his head as he pushed away from the wall he was leaning against. He took a moment to simply look at Galyn, finding the orange-haired medic looking quite alone and vulnerable. Perhaps she was embarrassed or feeling humiliated by what happened – in front of him. Or maybe it was because he was the first and only person to really know how badly she was being treated.

"I need to ask," Jarrett said. "It isn't just the fact that explorers have been dying, is it? It's something else."

Galyn said nothing as she walked over to the bedside table where a single photograph sat. Wordlessly, she picked it up and cradled it in her two hands.

Jarrett walked up behind her and glanced over her shoulder at the photograph, the same one he had picked up upon the first time he escorted Galyn back to her apartment. "How did Mira hurt you?"

"…His name was Cypress," Galyn whispered, her voice soft and shaky. "He was a Troubadour. He was like a brother to me. And…and she killed him."

Jarrett gently placed his hands on Galyn's arms as he moved a little bit closer. "Is that when you left the clinic?"

Galyn nodded her head as she trailed her fingertips over the photo of her and the man that must be Cypress. Under his hands, Jarrett could feel her tremble. "It was her. I know it was her. There was nothing I could do…"

Galyn managed to place down the photograph before covering her face with her hands as she cried. Heart-breaking sobs wracked her slender frame, tears and grievances she had to keep bottled because of her relentless pursuit of the truth.

Jarrett wrapped his arms around Galyn and hugged her against his chest. Galyn turned toward him and pressed her face against his shoulder as she continued to cry. She felt so small, so vulnerable in his arms. Jarrett's heart immediately went out to her. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for her all this time. To lose someone near and dear was terrible enough, but for someone to murder him?

"How could a medic do something like that?" Galyn sobbed against his shoulder as she clung onto him, desperately seeking comfort. "It doesn't make sense!"

Jarrett simply held her, gently running his fingers through her hair. "We'll stop her."

…If it was the last thing he did.


	10. Chapter 10

Jarrett sat on the edge of Galyn's bed as he watched her sleep. After she had confessed to him the real reason why she was so determined to stop Mira she had exhausted herself crying and fallen asleep in his arms. Deciding not to risk carrying her back to the mansion, he picked her up in his arms and laid her on her bed, where he watched over her all night. He didn't lie down with her as he was still on high alert for any possible threats.

He was used to pulling all-nighters anyway. Trekking through the labyrinth from dusk to dawn wasn't anything new.

Looking down at Galyn, Jarrett couldn't help but run his fingers through her hair, amazed by her strength and bravery. He was also worried for her. Her determination to oust Mira as a murderer was putting her own life on the line. It was obvious that there was a silent code where no one was to speak ill of Mira for they would pay the consequences.

But he also understood Galyn's desperation. Losing someone you considered family was painful. Extremely painful. And to lose them to murder? How could anyone accept something like that? One might be able to find closure if it was an accident or their loved one had died in the labyrinth, but to be murdered at the clinic? Galyn's need for justice was understandable.

"Hm…"

Feeling Galyn begin to stir under his hand, Jarrett pulled himself from his thoughts and watched as Galyn began to wake up. He pulled his hand back so not to startle her and waited. Blinking open her eyes, Galyn appeared rather stunned and disorientated, probably wondering when and how she crawled into bed. She rolled over onto her side, appearing ready to fall back to sleep when she finally looked at Jarrett. That was when she really woke up.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Galyn looked at him with a soft sense of astonishment. "...You stayed," she murmured.

As if he could leave her alone after everything that had happened.

Reaching out, Jarrett cupped the side of Galyn's face in his hand. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Galyn subconsciously leaned toward his hand as she continued to look at him with her large violet eyes. A light blush suddenly appeared on her cheeks, yet made no attempt to remove his hand from her cheek. "I look like a wreck, don't I?" she asked softly.

With her red eyes and puffy cheeks, she kinda did. Her hair was slightly frizzy and her clothes were wrinkled and much too big on her. But she also looked kinda pretty. A natural pretty as it were. He wasn't at all put off by her appearance. Not in the slightest.

"In all honesty, you look like shit," Jarrett said as he gave her a small smile. "But that's understandable."

The corners of Galyn's mouth twitched into a smile before she gave a light laugh, seemingly releasing the tension she had been holding in. She grabbed at Jarrett's hand with her right hand, pulling it away from her face as she rubbed her cheeks with her left hand.

"Sorry," she said as she gave a strained chuckle. "I better go pretty myself up then, huh?"

Curling his fingers around Galyn's hand, Jarrett helped her off the bed and to stand on her feet. Galyn gave him a small smile, a sincere one without a sign of embarrassment as she squeezed his hand. She didn't say anything, she just gave his hand a squeeze before letting go and heading into the bath room to freshen up.

"Pack your things," Jarrett said after Galyn reappeared moments later, looking a little more confident. "You're moving into the mansion until we figure this out."

Galyn looked ready to protest, but quickly snapped her mouth shut and nodded her head. She then proceeded to do just that, grabbing her bag and picking out a couple changes of clothes.

Jarrett leaned against the wall by the front door and mused to himself. After the bold attack on her last night in town, the obvious next step for the Sirens (or any other Mira supporter) to take would be confront Galyn in her own apartment. Seeing that threatening her wasn't enough, they might start trying for more extreme measures.

It was actually a surprise that Galyn hadn't met an unfortunate accident already. Maybe being a visible and verbal enemy of Mira was keeping her alive for now, as her death might be seen as suspicious. Or maybe she had simply been lucky.

"…Jarrett?"

"Hm?" Jarrett murmured, once again pulled from his musings. He turned to look at Galyn, finding the orange-haired medic dressed with the strap of her bag in her hand, the actual bag sitting on the floor. He then noticed that she appeared shy and a little embarrassed. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…Thank you, for staying," Galyn whispered as she peered up at him with her vivid violet eyes. "And for believing me."

Without hesitation, Jarrett crossed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms once more. And Galyn immediately returned the embrace, pressing her cheek against his shoulder as her hands gripped at his shirt on his back. It was actually kinda nice holding Galyn in his arms like he was.

How Galyn had been pursuing the truth by herself for so long, Jarrett didn't know. But she didn't have to do it alone anymore.

"We better get going," Jarrett said as he reluctantly pulled away from her. "The others will be wondering where we are."

"Yeah," Galyn murmured with a light blush across her cheeks.

Jarrett grabbed Galyn's bag and slung it over his shoulder before then proceeding to wrap an arm around Galyn's shoulder in a show of support and reassurance. And Galyn didn't hesitate in leaning against him, finding his presence comforting. Especially as they moved to leave her apartment and take to the streets of Etria.

Sticking mostly to the back alleyways, they couldn't help but feel curious when they heard a commotion near the town's square. Figuring that it was probably just a couple of guilds picking a fight with each other, they were instead surprised and rather exasperated to find Mira once again in the spotlight.

Lying on the ground appeared to be a rookie explorer and kneeling next to him, soothing and reassuring was Mira. It appeared as though Mira had used her healing abilities to help the explorer, either healing his wounds or bringing him back into consciousness. Either one, Mira was gently and sweetly comforting him as people gathered round. She stayed kneeling by his side until some soldiers lifted him up onto a gurney and carried him to the hospital.

"You saved that man's life, Mira! You truly are Etria's beloved angel!"

As expected, the crowd that had gathered round were singing Mira praise as the blonde-haired medic rose to her feet and smoothed down her clothing. The usual praise of how sweet, wonderful and talented she was seemed to echo around the entire city.

However, as Jarrett looked around at some of the explorers he knew weren't locals of Etria, he found them to be somewhat withdrawn and uncomfortable, staying at the back and looking on with mild scorn. A blue-haired male landsknecht and a brown-haired female ronin close to him immediately caught his attention.

"Beloved angel my ass," the male landsknecht murmured bitterly as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Shh!" the female ronin standing next to him whispered. "You want to end up like that Galyn girl? We can't afford that kind of scorn."

The landsknecht sighed as he dropped his arms to his sides. "Yeah, yeah. She's a good medic, but what's with that angel shit?"

"I said shush!"

Jarrett looked down at Galyn against his side, wondering if she happened to overhear that short conversation. However, it appeared that she didn't, too busy shooting glares of hatred in Mira's direction. A pity, really, as it was oddly reassuring. At least he knew he wasn't the only one who saw through Mira's sweetness and light persona.

"Amazing as usual, Mira!" a local woman praised loudly.

Brushing back her long blond hair, Mira smiled sweetly and placed her hand against her chest, over her heart. "I'm just so glad that I was able to help."

"Your father is proud of you, I'm sure," the local woman continued. "You're surpassing him, after all!"

Mira's giggle was like the chimes of angel wings. "Thanks."

...Sicking.

"Let's go, Galyn," Jarrett murmured as he tightened his arm around her shoulders and they both continued walking. He felt Galyn become tense from frustration, so he pulled her closer to his side as they hurried back to the guild house.

Stepping into the sanctuary of the mansion, the first person they saw was not Rosa, she being the one to always greet whoever walked in, but Simon. And it appeared as though he had been waiting for them.

"There you are," he said as he strode over to them. "Where have the two of you been?"

"Long story," Jarrett said as he reluctantly removed his arm from around Galyn's shoulders and Galyn looked at the floor in embarrassment.

Simon stared at the two of them for a moment before sighing and pushing up his glasses. "In any case, something interesting happened last night at clinic. Or so I heard."

Jarrett narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

"Apparently, Mira was instrumental in pulling a couple of severely injured explorers back from the very brink of death," Simon explained, a strong sense of sarcasm in his voice.

Jarrett had to fight hard not to release a groan of annoyance and roll his eyes. "Yeah, she's on a roll alright. She just helped another explorer back to the world of the living in the town's square just minutes ago."

Simon didn't look at all surprised to hear that as he folded his arms over his chest. "Seems someone is trying to keep up the sweet angel act."

"She's getting desperate," Jarrett agreed.

"Jarrett, Galyn!"

Galyn had barely enough time to lift her head up before Ricky hugged her fiercely. She tensed at first, before slowly relaxing and allowing Ricky to cling onto her.

"We've been looking for you," Ricky said with a slight sniffle, clearly having been worried.

"Sorry," Galyn said as she gave a shy smile, glancing at Ricky from the corner of her eye. "I, ah, forgot something at home and when I went to retrieve it, the Sirens attacked me."

Ricky abruptly pulled away from her, but still holding her by the arms to look at her face, Ricky's cheeks puffed out in annoyance and concern.

"I'm all right," Galyn quickly added as a light flush appeared on her cheeks. "J-Jarrett was there to help. I was careless."

Ricky sighed before abruptly hugging Galyn tightly again, almost squeezing the air from her lungs. "Thank goodness you're ok."

Tearing his gaze from the rather amusing scene, Jarrett turned his attention to Simon.

"I had explained to everyone what has been going on," Simon told him without a hint of remorse. "All that I know at least. After what happened in the bar..."

Good. At least that saved Jarrett having to explain everything.

"Yeah, I know," Jarrett said as he moved further into the guild house and removed Galyn's bag from his shoulder, placing it by the stairs. "Things are starting to get serious. It's time for a team meeting."

Simon nodded his head. "I'll go call everyone."

Not a few minutes later everyone was seated at the rectangular shaped table, Jarrett sitting at the 'head' of the table with Galyn and Simon on either side of him, while Raquna sat at the other end, Ricky and Arthur on either side of her. And sprawled out on the table in front of them were numerous files and documents.

"So Mira is the one behind the deaths?" Arthur questioned as he picked up a piece of paper to look at it.

"There is no other who could be," Galyn replied.

Raquna rested her elbow on the table. "Is there no one else that is suspicious of her?"

"I honestly don't know," Galyn answered as she shook her head disappointingly. "Her father was a pretty legendary doctor, so maybe that's a reason why."

"Some explorers aren't exactly fans," Jarrett added as he remembered that brief conversation he overheard. "However, humans have the surprising habit of seeing what they want to see and not seeing what they don't want to see."

"That's very true," Simon murmured as removed his glasses to clean them.

"Evidence doesn't lie, though," Raquna unexpectedly stated. "So what have we got on her?"

Quickly replacing his glasses, Simon leaned forward and picked up a file, one he and Galyn seeming composed on their own. "The evidence against Mira is pretty substantial, and yet circumstantial. And we still don't know how she's harming these patients, little alone why."

Galyn nodded his head as she idly trailed her fingers over a file. "She's using an item from the labyrinth, that much I am sure of."

"What kind of item?" Ricky asked.

"I caught her mining at one point, so it would be a stone or ore of some kind," Galyn explained. "Many minerals are poisonous to humans. But what mineral is behind these deaths, I need to know to create a cure."

Ricky nodded her head as she touched her cheek with her finger, her eyes rolling up toward the ceiling in through. "Um…Why don't we just head into the labyrinth and pick up as many types of stones that we can for you to research?"

"Seems like our only option," Jarrett said as he rose from his seat. "Let's get ready. You too, Galyn."

Galyn snapped her attention to him, looking surprised. "Huh?"

"You're coming with us," Jarrett said simply, leaving no room for argument. "The Sirens won't dare attack us in the labyrinth."

Not if they knew what was good for them.


	11. Chapter 11

One had to consider what kind of trouble they were in when entering the labyrinth was considered a place of refuge. And yet, for Jarrett, walking through the Emerald Grove was just that - reassuring. At least he knew the dangers and was able to predict the movements of the monsters. Dealing with the human mind, however, was something else entirely.

Despite having little sleep, Jarrett felt as alert as ever. He had to be, especially now that he was in charge of a group of six, not the usual five. Thankfully, having an extra member wasn't awkward in anyway. It might be for Galyn, but her presence wasn't interfering in anyway.

Jarrett looked over his shoulder at his party. Raquna was behind him, glancing at the greenery with a usually cautionary look. Behind her were Simon and Arthur, the two friends speaking quietly to each other. While Galyn and Ricky was walking just steps behind them.

"Isn't this fun, Galyn?" Ricky asked as she hooked her arm through Galyn's as they walked along the paths. "Travelling in a group is better than working alone."

Galyn tensed from Ricky's touch, as she usually did. However, she relaxed slightly and glanced at Ricky from the corner of her eye. "…I guess so," she said as a small smile appeared on her lips and made no attempt to tug her arm free.

Pleased to see that Galyn was finally becoming comfortable with his guild, Jarrett turned his attention to the map in his hands. He needed to keep his mind on their task.

There was a mine spot on the fifth floor, where they were heading. Hopefully Mira or the Sirens hadn't looted it yet. Still somewhat hard to believe that a stone could cause so much damage to the human body, but what did he know about the minerals or components of stones, anyway? He had very limited medical knowledge and Simon had explained that there was about a thousand different ways for the human body to die.

Mira must have found a way that was 'natural'.

Stepping onto the fifth floor and making their way undisturbed along the long, winding pathway, Jarrett was pleased to finally note that they were approaching the final mining point.

"Galyn," Jarrett called. "We're here."

Galyn nodded her head in understanding before removing her arm from Ricky and scurrying forward. She moved fearlessly to the dark spot on the ground and began to brush aside the dirt and grass. She picked up a few stones, studied them before putting them back. Instead she seemed interested in sharp, jagged stones that were brown in colour.

"What stone do you suspect?" Simon asked as he crouched near Galyn.

"Bronzite," Galyn said as she gathered a few of the brown coloured stones. "Mira seemed to have been collecting these exclusively on the third floor."

Picking up a stone from Galyn's hand, Simon spent a moment studying it. "…Cooper and iron?" he murmured.

"More research is required," Galyn stated as she took back the stone, placing them into a small leather pouch and then into her bag. "But I am certain this stone is being misused."

"Let's check the next stratum, just in case," Jarrett suggested as he turned to lead the way, the path clear of Fenrir and its wolf pack. "Doubt that Mira had gotten this far, but there might be a cure."

"Sounds good," Galyn said as she stood up and securing her bag on her shoulder.

The second stratum was vastly different to the Emerald Grove, and so were the items found there. While Jarrett and his guild have only reached the seventh floor, he had heard that there was a natural curative spring on the eighth. They probably won't reach that floor today, but at least they knew of a possible cure – if an item from the labyrinth was being used to harm explorers, it only made sense that an item from the labyrinth could also cure them.

"Wow…" Galyn murmured as she stepped onto the sixth floor, surprised by not only the abrupt change in foliage, but in temperature too. "This is Primitive Jungle?"

"First time here, Galyn?" Ricky asked.

Galyn nodded her head as she continued to look around, an expression of intrigue on her face. "I've never been beyond the fifth floor," she explained, surprisingly honest. "A lone medic like me could never have gotten past Fenrir."

"There are some mint leaves this way," Jarrett said as he took the lead once more, moving the party north before taking the path eastward. "They might come in handy."

After walking down a straight path and reaching a sharp bend in the road, they quickly reached a spot they refer to as a Take Point, meaning that they could take whatever they could get their hands on.

But as Jarrett moved to round the corner, Galyn next to him, Ricky seemed to pull the others up to a stop. Pausing in their movements, both Jarrett and Galyn turned to look questioning at the rest of their party.

"You two go ahead," Raquna stated with a sly grin. "We'll make sure you two won't be ambushed. No point in all of us going, is there?"

"We'll be just around the corner, kay?" Ricky called out as she waved cheerfully. "We won't wander too far!"

Jarrett arched an eyebrow as Arthur looked confused and Simon sighed, pushing up his glasses. However, the two stayed with the others nonetheless. And Jarrett opted not to make a comment. There was no need. He didn't mind being in Galyn's sole company, anyway.

Turning his attention back to Galyn, whom of which was looking rather confused, Jarrett placed his hand on her elbow and pulled her along with him. While the behaviour of his teammates were somewhat obvious (and maybe even a little bit appreciated), they weren't to Galyn. And he wasn't going to explain as that would only make her feel awkward.

"You can take as much as you want here," Jarrett explained as they reached a dead-end brimming with plant-life.

"I heard you can gather sap lumps here," Galyn commented idly as she lowered herself onto her knees in the middle of the greenery and began to harvest what she could find. "Are there any mining spots around here?"

"None that we have found so far," Jarrett answered.

"That's probably for the best," Galyn said, just engaging in casual conversation, seemingly becoming more comfortable with him and their surroundings. "I hope that we can find what Mira is using before she changes her methods."

…Yeah, that was a risk, wasn't it? And with Mira's current behaviour, repeatedly proving how much of an utter darling she was, proved that she was getting desperate. So desperate that she could very well change her choice of poisoning.

More importantly, she might try to pin it all on Galyn.

Jarrett found himself tightening his jaw at the thought. He wouldn't put it past the manipulative bitch to try. She had already convinced many of the locals how much of a 'weirdo' Galyn was. It wouldn't be hard to convince them that Galyn was a murderer.

…Not going to happen. If Jarrett had to beat the living shit out of anyone who dared to accuse Galyn of such a thing, he would. Without hesitation.

Realizing that he was working himself up with what-if scenarios, Jarrett took a deep breath and turned his attention back the subject of his thoughts. Galyn was still crouched on the ground, a couple of mint leaves in her hands. However, she was looking around at their exotic surroundings, a sincere and beautiful expression of awe on her face.

Since learning the truth behind her behaviour, Galyn has been more open with him, in her words and emotions. It was something that brought satisfaction and joy to Jarrett as well.

"How are you doing?" Jarrett asked, musing that Galyn might be overwhelmed with the intrigues of a new stratum.

Pushing herself to her feet, Galyn huffed slightly. "It's really muggy down here," she murmured as she turned to face Jarrett, a light sheen of sweat glistening on her face and neck. She then unexpectedly reached for the hem of her dark blue shirt and lifted it up to wipe the sweat off of her face. However, she also unintentionally revealed her flat stomach, subtle hips and…the underside of her breasts.

…And Jarrett nearly had an aneurysm.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Galyn asked him suddenly as she lowered her shirt, looking at Jarrett in a studying way. "You're not getting jungle fever, are you?"

Jarrett quickly realised that he must have turned bright red from the unintentionally revealing and coughed roughly into his hand, doing his best to keep his face neutral as he looked away. "Ahem. No, just a heat flush, I suppose. It is rather warm down here."

"Yeah," Galyn agreed, satisfied with his reasoning and turned her attention back to their surroundings. "I'm going to need a cool shower after this.

…She wasn't the only one.

Desperate to change his thought pattern, Jarrett shuffled on his feet as he turned his attention back to Galyn to ask her whether or not she found something of interest. He, however, frowned when he noticed that Galyn was holding a blade of grass between her fingers, a far-off but pained look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Jarrett immediately asked as he moved closer to her.

"…It's nothing," Galyn murmured as she timidly looked over at Jarrett. But as her gaze collided with Jarrett's, a sad smile appeared on her lips. "It's just…this blade of grass reminds me of Cypress. He always had a leaf or a piece of grass between his lips to chew on."

Jarrett automatically reached out, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back. "What was he like?" he asked, hoping that the question wasn't too painful, yet interested in knowing more about the brother figure that was so important to Galyn. Even though it was impossible for them to meet, he felt he should at least know about him – and maybe put his spirit at ease.

"Cypress was completely different to you," Galyn answered, a gentle look of fondness on her face as she turned her attention back to the piece of grass. "He was lazy for starters. Liked sleeping, anywhere at any time. I was always telling him off, telling to get up and do something useful. But he would just smile at me and try to serenade me with a song. He was such an idiot…"

Jarrett gently rubbed his hand up and down Galyn's back. "How long?"

"A few months," Galyn said with a slight hiccup, abruptly dropping the grass and folding her arms around her. "I miss him so much."

"I know you do," Jarrett murmured.

Unexpectedly, Galyn turned to him and pressed herself against his chest, finding comfort. Jarrett immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"I could…I could have accepted it if he died in the labyrinth," Galyn whispered, her voice thick from emotion, on the verge of crying. "But to be murdered? How do I move on from that? Even if I prove that Mira did it, he won't come back."

"Proving that Mira did it will prevent others from suffering like you have," Jarrett said as he rested his chin on top of Galyn's head. "That's the real reason, isn't it? Not to get revenge against Mira, but to stop her."

At first, Galyn was silent as she rested her cheek against his chest. She then slowly nodded her head as she pulled away slightly, but staying in his arms nonetheless. She looked up at him, her eyes so beautiful and expressive, her face so close to his. She then whispered to him; "…Make sure she doesn't get you, too."

Jarrett tightened his arms around her as his face moved closer to hers. "I won't," he promised.

He wasn't going to let Mira hurt Galyn again. Never again.

Galyn blushed lightly, yet seemed unable to take her eyes away from his. She chewed on her bottom lip, seemingly wanting to say something else, to perhaps do something as she lifted her chin up just a little and…

"Eeeek!"

The shriek of surprise caused Jarrett and Galyn to spring apart from each other and look around in a startled fashion. They, however, quickly gathered themselves and immediately raced off in order to re-join with the others. As they sprinted around the corner, they were greeted by the sight of Ricky flailing, Simon standing at the back with a slight look of disinterest, Arthur trying to wield his magic and Raquna standing at the forefront, with her foot seemingly grinding something into the ground.

"What's wrong?" Jarrett demanded as he and Galyn raced over to the group, his hand gripping at the handle of his weapon.

"Just some sleeper ooze," Raquna quickly explained, indicating to her foot with a tilt of her head. "Just one."

Jarrett sighed with relief (and tinged with mild annoyance) and relaxed his posture. Although relieved that his party and friends were safe, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Ricky didn't scream…

"Let's take a moment to go through the items that we have gathered," Simon suddenly suggested, pulling Jarrett from his thoughts.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Galyn quickly agreed, her face still slightly flushed.

"We'll make sure we'll keep any monsters at bay," Jarrett stated as Galyn and Simon sat upon the ground at the cross-roads of three paths and began to sort through their items.

"These might come in handy," Galyn said as she laid out the items she had recently gathered. "Mint leaf, sap lump and cross seed."

"For healing," Simon muttered as he pushed up his glasses. "But none of them would be poisonous."

"It's definitely one of these stones," Galyn stated as she pulled out a leather pouch. "We'll have to wait until we return to town."

Handing the bag over to Simon to let the other medic inspect the item, Galyn unexpectedly reached for the collar of her shirt and tugged at it, revealing the skin of her collar bone that was gleaming with sweat.

Just as abruptly, Jarrett's warrior mind suddenly betrayed him as he began to imagine Galyn doing something rather…sensual. He wondered what it would be like to see her, her hands holding the hem of her shirt, her left hand on the right side, her right on her left, her arms crossed over her slender body. Slowly, she began to lift up the shirt, inch by inch, revealing soft flawless skin until finally…

Hoping to stop the thoughts from progressing further, Jarrett abruptly spun around, placed his hands against the jagged bark of a tree and slammed his head against the trunk.

The hollow thunk of his head hitting the tree immediately gained everyone's attention.

"…Are you all right?" Simon asked after a few moments of silence.

"…Fine," Jarrett muttered as he kept his head against the trunk of the tree for a few more seconds before pulling away. His head throbbed a little and there was something warm and moist on his forehead.

Simon pushed up his glasses, looking purely sceptical. "You're bleeding."

Jarrett thought he smashed his head a little too hard. He unwillingly found his gaze wandering over to Galyn, locking eyes with the orange-haired beauty. She returned his gaze, the emotions of concern and guilt in her violet eyes. Concern because she knew that he had little sleep the previous night and guilt because she felt she was the cause of it.

"I think we've gathered enough today," Galyn said as she began to pack up the items and shoving them into her bag. "Let's go home."

Simon turned his critical gaze from Jarrett to look at Galyn for a brief moment before nodding his head. "Agreed. It's been a long day."

After the two medics ensured that they hadn't forgotten anything, they climbed to their feet, ready for their journey back. However, as they re-joined the group, they turned their attention back to Jarrett.

"Want me to…" Simon trailed off, motioning to the blood on Jarrett's forehead.

"I'll, ah, do it," Galyn offered as she quickly made her way over to Jarrett, shuffling around in her bag as she did so.

Coming to a stop before Jarrett, Galyn pulled out a white cloth from her bag. Since Jarrett was taller than Galyn, he had to lean down slightly to allow her to get a good look at his self-inflicted injury. She dabbed at the minor wound, cleaning the blood before offering a cure spell.

"You shouldn't push yourself for me," Galyn whispered as she finished cleaning the wound, her eyes soft from both guilt and gratitude.

Jarrett simply smiled down at her, his head feeling better already. He then turned his attention to the others, noting looks of curiosity and interest on their faces. Except for Raquna. Her lips were twisted into a smirk as a look of realisation appeared on her face. She looked ready to laugh, but thankfully held it in.

"Let's trek back to the Geo Pole," she said instead.

"Sounds good."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter was undeniably fun to write. I'm becoming rather fond of this pairing, so I might just have to write more about them in the future.


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